I'm Coming After You
by DorkisMalorkis
Summary: An AU Mass Effect fic where Kaidan Alenko is the first human Spectre. He gets tasked with finding his partner's killer. As the mystery unravels, he finds himself drawn into a pursuit that might end up costing him more than his life.
1. Chapter 1

It was just before midnight when Kaidan Alenko's omni-tool began chirping, an orange disk flickering rapidly on the back of his hand. He rolled over, groggy, but the haze of sleep was fading fast at the frantic blips of his 'tool. He yawned and scrubbed the back of his free fist across his eyes and glanced out the bay window overlooking the city, sprawling down the long arms of the Citadel. A steady, heavy rain beat a loud cadence against the glass, created from the weather systems installed high above, in the rotating arms of the station. The rainbow glow of the city's lights lit up like tiny beacons in the distance, miniscule pinpricks of orange and white and yellow bleeding in the heavy fog, creating a strange, ethereal radiance.

Kaidan scooted to the edge of the bed, his bare feet finding the cool hardwood floor. He stifled another yawn and lifted his wrist. A few taps on the interface of his omni-tool brought up a vid-screen, casting its golden glow about his small apartment bedroom. Kaidan blinked several times, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness slowly. Commander Bailey's face, scarred and bone-tired, peered at him through the screen. Something about Bailey's expression deeply unsettled Kaidan. An icy thrill of fear sparked through Kaidan like lightning as the Commander spoke.

"Ashley Williams is dead."

Kaidan stood, hours later, in Ashley's apartment across town. The artificial sunrise of the Citadel was just barely beginning, bathing the world in grey light. It was still raining. He was numb – _what else could he be –_ as he stared unblinkingly down at his fellow Spectre's corpse, his jaw taut. Ashley lay, limbs askew, upon the threadbare carpet of her apartment, her spice-brown eyes wide open but unseeing, blank. Lifeless. A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth and onto the carpet. She was wearing cargo shorts and a Spectre tank top, both now splattered with her own blood. Her hand, wrapped in boxing tape, was still clutched tightly around her unfired Carnifex pistol, her arm bent at an odd angle. Blood pooled, thick and almost black, upon the carpet, from two point-blank gunshot wounds to her stomach. Her dark hair clung to her face, sweat still cooling on her skin. She had been dead scarcely longer than two hours. Two and a half, tops.

_Killer couldn't have gotten too far,_ Kaidan thought viciously. His hands closed into tight fists, to cease the trembling.

There were crime scene photographers standing around her body, snapping holos with their omni-tools, as well as documenting the broken window across from her bed, the overturned lamp and shards of glass outside in the mud, the ripped piece of dark fabric, hanging on a jagged section of window. Kaidan watched investigators outside the broken window, safe from the rain beneath a hastily-erected canopy, pick up shards of glass covered in blood and place them in evidence bags.

He couldn't stand look at Ash's broken body any longer. He carefully stepped around it – _her _– and crossed to the window.

There were footprints in the mud underneath the sill that led away from Ashley's home, disappearing into the bushes that lined her small garden. So this had been the point of exit for the killer. But how had they gotten inside undetected? Ash's house was alarmed, and a trigger would have alerted every C-Sec officer on the Citadel. But they had only been called when someone heard the breaking of a window. None of it fit. Kaidan began to pace slowly around the room, careful to disturb nothing with his booted toes. His eyes roamed the room, familiar and yet totally alien at the same time.

Commander Bailey was giving instructions to the cops that had been called to investigate by the front door. When they were dismissed, a squat little old woman who was wearing a fluffy pink robe over her silk pajamas began speaking to him rapidly, gesticulating. Another tenant of the apartment. A witness, maybe? Bailey's omni-tool flared to life on his wrist, recording her statements. A crowd was beginning to form behind her, the two turians posted on either side pressing them back ineffectively. Bailey's rough shout scattered them in seconds.

It would have taken someone really skilled to surprise Ashley like this. Kaidan had never known a more paranoid woman in his life. Most Spectres he knew slept with a pistol under their pillow. That was common practice. Ashley slept alongside an assault rifle, tucked under her sheets beside her like a lover. She had an aluminum bat under her bed, and he knew from personal experience she kept a loaded shotgun by her bedroom door, just behind the door frame, out of sight. Kaidan wasn't sure of any other weapons stashed in her home, but Ashley was a professionally trained kick-boxer, and could punch harder than anyone back at C-Sec. If it came down to it, she wouldn't need a weapon to escape injury.

She had an alarm system, too. So how could someone have gotten inside without a bullet in their skull?

Kaidan ran a callused hand through his dark hair, his fingernails scratching absently at his implant scar, just behind his left ear. At the back of his mind, buried deep underneath the blind rage and profound sorrow, he was intrigued. It had been awhile since a case stumped him like this. He looked down at Ash again. He stared for a long time, committing everything about her and this scene to memory.

He forced himself to look away only when an investigator brought a white sheet over Ashley's corpse, but a shiver rippled through him regardless. _Whoever did this will pay._

Bailey came up behind him, his omni-tool glowing on his wrist. "Well, let's see what we've got so far. Whoever killed Ash definitely knew her, or at least the layout of her home."

"How did they get inside?"

"Front door. No signs of forced entry, so they either picked the lock, or Ash let them in."

Kaidan's eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. "Ash wasn't stupid, Commander. Do you really think she would have let someone, doesn't matter who, into her house at one in the morning?" Implying that Ashley would have made such a rookie mistake was downright insulting.

Bailey lifted and dropped one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug, without taking his weary gaze off the accumulated case notes on his omni-tool. He looked drained, the orange-yellow glow casting shadows on his rough features that accentuated his age. "Who's to say? The alarm wasn't triggered, so whoever did this either knew about it, or Ash herself turned it off when she let them in."

Kaidan turned away from Bailey, suddenly furious, his thick eyebrows pinched together in an irritated glare. The old man wasn't going to be much help, now. Bailey was already giving up, his exhaustion and grief getting the better of him. Kaidan knew better than to speak up, though. Crap postings, removal from cases, and paperwork were Bailey's usual punishments for insubordination, and Kaidan was determined to stay on this case. _He owed Ash at least this._

Kaidan moved away from the Commander to search the room himself. He reached into the pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. He pulled them onto his hands and moved over to the wall beside Ashley's headboard. Blood from the gunshot wounds was spattered over the mussed sheets of her bed. Her assault rifle was missing. Kaidan's eyes narrowed. Perhaps the killer had taken it as a trophy? There was a small pit in the smooth wall at about waist height; a single bullet's ricochet. He frowned. Ashley had been shot _twice._ The coroner had confirmed that she had four wounds, two in and two out.

Kaidan reached out to touch the dent. His fingertip slid over the mark, and he leaned down, forehead touching the wall beside it to line up the trajectory. Someone had fired at Ashley from the doorway. The blood splatter and ricochet confirmed it. Kaidan shifted, turning his head in the direction the ricochet pointed, towards where the bullet ended up. He was looking at the broken window. Bullet was long gone by now.

Kaidan looked around, almost frantic, searching for evidence of the second bullet. Frustration gnawed at him. His gaze flicked to the still form of Ashley's corpse beneath the white sheet. _Who was going to tell her sisters?_

Bailey's heavy sigh dragged Kaidan from his dark thoughts. Bailey lowered his omni-tool. "I'm beat. End of my shift, anyway."

Kaidan didn't speak. He gritted his teeth to keep his temper in check, to keep himself from screaming at his commanding officer. _You're an ungrateful son of a bitch,_ he thought savagely. _How many times did Ashley save your ass? How many times did she work herself past the breaking point, for you?_ But he said nothing, merely gave a terse nod without looking at Bailey, his eyes searching fruitlessly for the other bullet.

"I'll leave two C-Sec officers to guard the place. And be careful. The killer might still be in the building. We checked Ash's apartment, but the whole building will be tough to clear without more officers."

Kaidan finally looked at Bailey, his gaze hard and vicious, but his anger melted away at the sight before him. Bailey's head was bowed, his face turned away, but there was an unmistakable shine on his cheeks. He was crying. Immediately, guilt consumed Kaidan like flames, and he wanted to kick himself. How could he have thought that Bailey would be unaffected by Ash's death? She had been his friend, too. More than once Ashley had put her life on the line for both of them, and now she was dead. It was an injustice. She was a better officer than both of them combined. She deserved better.

Kaidan stepped forward and tentatively put a hand on the older man's shoulder.

"I'll find whoever did this to Ash, Bailey." Kaidan fought hard to keep the tremor from his voice. His jaw clenched tight to keep it steady.

Bailey coughed to hide his sniffle and angrily brushed the tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt. He straightened, cleared his throat, and looked at Kaidan. His eyes had a hard edge now, his jaw set with determination. He nodded stiffly.

"I know you will, son." Bailey clasped Kaidan's shoulder for a brief moment, and then was gone.

Kaidan was left alone with his thoughts and the corpse of his best friend. The two turians posted at the front door to Ashley's apartment glanced his way and gave him a nod as the investigators packed up their things. A coroner would be along shortly to collect Ash's body and bring it to her family. The thought of her sister's grief when they received the news paralyzed him. It was a long moment before Kaidan could move. He glanced around Ashley's apartment. How long had it been since he'd been here? Three years? Maybe four? His gaze took in the trophies she had lined up on her dresser, from boxing to poetry to accuracy on a gun range. He smiled in spite of himself, but suddenly, grief threatened to devour him whole. He unexpectedly felt as if he barely knew her, and now she was gone.

Now he'd never get a chance to relearn everything about her.

He stared blindly at the wall. It took his grief-stricken brain several moments to register what he was staring at. His heart leapt into his throat as he practically ran over and – yes! He fished out a pair of tweezers and an evidence bag from a kit one of the investigators left. Carefully, he pulled the bullet from the hole with the tweezers, and held it up in front of his face to inspect it. It was a bullet he had never seen before. For one, it was _intact_, still perfectly shaped and not destroyed, like most bullets that had ripped through a human and hit a wall were.

Kaidan stared at the bullet. He looked back at the wall, perplexed.

He pulled out a pencil from his breast pocket and placed it eraser-first into the hole created from this miracle bullet. The pencil showed him the bullet's path. It was nearly perpendicular to the other bullet's trajectory, pointing towards Ashley's closet door. Kaidan's eyes widened as realization hit him like a freight train.

That's why there had been two bullet wounds. That's why there was two bullets.

_There had been two killers._

And now there were two laser dots trembling on his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Lola! You're making me nervous with all this pacing! _¡Dios!_"

Hours before midnight on the Citadel, two hooded figures lurked outside an apartment building, plotting. The larger of the two, leaning heavily against a planter, rolled his massive shoulders tensely as he watched the other pace a rut in the grass, scowling from underneath his hood. The rain had soaked them both through as they stood outside the tenement, but the large man's companion didn't seem to mind. Or maybe she didn't even notice the rain. He'd never admit it, but she unsettled him in more ways than one, her constant fluid movements making his fingers clench tightly around the grip of his Crusader shotgun. She flashed him a grin, energetic and _feral_, her teeth glinting unusually bright in the glow of the Citadel's artificial moonlight. He likened her to a rabid wolf, looming over a down antelope with that savage smile, before sinking its teeth into the meat of its throat.

He had to stop watching those nature documentaries. He suppressed a shiver.

"It's sort of exciting, though, isn't it?" Her voice was a hiss, barely above a whisper, but he felt as if she shouted it. She moved, faster than he would have liked, and suddenly she was inches away from him, standing on her tiptoes. He balked at the sudden closeness of her, leaning back as far as he could without giving himself away. He didn't particularly like familiarity, at least not outside the bedroom. Her bottle-green eyes stood out like strange embers in the darkness, her face lit only by the distant street lamp. She pulled down her hood – _probably shouldn't do that_ – allowing the cool rain to wash over her strawberry blonde hair, cropped short at the nape of her neck. Tendrils of it clung to her face as she leaned her head back to better accept the cool gift of rain.

In today's society, someone with features like hers was considered a freak of nature. Almost everyone was mixed race at this point in human history, with olive skin of varying darkness and brown eyes. People like her were a rarity, all pale and colorful and oddly bright against her darker-skinned peers. Products of a forgotten age where people actually cared about the color of another's skin. He'd probably find her beautiful and exotic if he didn't know exactly what she was capable of. His eyes narrowed a bit at the memory of their first meeting. _That man's head had just exploded_.

"I mean, finally!" She whirled on her heel, and started pacing again, derailing his train of thought. "After all these years, Nathan and I will – "

She cut herself off and came to a halt, her back to him, a few feet away. An awkward silence hung heavily between them, stretching on for several minutes. The large man didn't press the subject. He looked away from her, strangely embarrassed. She rarely spoke about her brother, the circumstances surrounding his death, and he wasn't the type of person to ask a lot of questions. He'd learned the hard way, years ago, that curiosity was a dangerous thing in this profession. So he kept quiet, he didn't ask, he didn't push. If it was important, he trusted her enough to tell him.

_That's probably a mistake._

Suddenly, the window they had been watching lit up, a faint yellow glow flickering into life a few apartments down from them. It caught his eye. He hissed a warning to her back and she spun, graceful and almost leisurely, to look at the window, watching the shadow move with hungry fascination. And there was that feral, crazy grin that made him just a little afraid of her. She sidled up beside him as they crouched behind a planter, and he found himself edging away from her just a bit. She was too familiar with him outside of the bed they sometimes shared, always finding ways to be close and he didn't like it. Made it harder to distance himself from her.

He was a big man, and it took a lot to unnerve him, but this tiny, ferocious creature made him feel incredibly uneasy, and he killed people for a living.

They watched the shadow move around the apartment for a few minutes, crouched motionless behind the planter. His hand found the grip of his shotgun for comfort, hidden at his lower back, beneath his baggy black sweatshirt. Even though it was ungainly and huge, an irresponsible choice for a concealed weapon, he loved this shotgun. He'd never had a more reliable friend. And despite his proclivity for dangerous and oftentimes deadly activities, anxiety gnawed at his insides.

"How do you want to do this, Lola?"

"She knows me. She'll let me in." There was a hard, vicious edge to her voice. He swallowed at the implication.

She was standing now, always fluid, never a misstep or a gesture out of place. Practiced. He briefly wondered if she'd fantasized about this moment, in the years it had taken her to build up this scheme. He could see it on her face sometimes, when she thought he wasn't looking, that distant look in her eyes, the way she became suddenly still in the middle of some energetic activity. This place _haunted_ her. They skirted around the perimeter of the building to the front door of the complex. There wasn't a guard, or a doorman. The front door wasn't even locked. Something hot and unsettling crept into the pit of his stomach.

"This doesn't feel right, Lola," he hissed, and she shrugged his concerns away with a jerk of her shoulder, her face fierce with determination.

Six years she had waited for this day. She had planned from the shadows, she had bled, suffered, and killed _hundreds_ to get here. _Six years_. Suddenly, she was there again, her mind drawing upon the memory with startling, sickening clarity. She was younger, barely into high school. She was slumped against a building in a dirty slum alley, holding her brother's heavy frame in her lap as the life ebbed from him. He coughed wetly, blood splattered his lips, flecking across his chin. His breathing was irregular and ragged, edged with pain. The gunshot wound on his stomach bled freely, a red splotch growing rapidly on his gray t-shirt. Tears, hot and thick and _blinding_, flowed freely from her eyes as she smoothed his hair, the same color as hers, from his sweaty face with blood-slicked fingers. She murmured soothing nonsense in his ear, her fingers trembling on his forehead. His eyes grew glassy, half-lidded as he struggled to remain conscious.

And there was a dark, shadowed figure standing a few feet away, clutching a smoking Carnifex pistol. Words, empty and meaningless, were spoken. They were dulled, muffled by her imperfect memory, distorted by time and pain. "You've both killed people, Nora. I'm not sorry."

And the pistol turned towards her skull.

Somewhere far away, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and she was hurled violently back to the present. She stood, paralyzed, in the door of the apartment building. Her companion, usually not one for such forwardness, had sidled up beside her. His hand was warm and large, settled upon her shoulder in what he hoped was a gesture of comfort. When he squeezed, she started and jerked away from the touch, looking half-wild and ready to flee for just a moment, before the memory faded and she was grounded in reality once more. She stared at him with those wide eyes, her expression entirely unreadable.

_¡Pendejo!_ He thought his head might burst from embarrassment.

They'd maintained a strange relationship in the few years they'd worked together on this. They barely knew one another, but their regular rendezvous were sometimes a bit more…_ intimate_. But it was still impersonal, only ever skin-deep. Just fucking. Even the name he called her, Lola, was one he had made up himself. It felt strange not saying _anything_ against her neck when they came together, seeking release, sweaty and rough and carnal. He didn't want to admit to himself just how much he looked forward to those clandestine trysts, where she'd sneak into his grimy apartment in the middle of the night and reach for him in the darkness.

He cleared his throat and gestured wordlessly down the hallway. She eyed him for another heartbeat, two, before stalking past him down the long corridor. It was lined with identical doors at equal intervals, each with a small plaque bearing the apartment number beside it. Some had welcome mats, a few had other decorative items plastered to the metal. Several had children's toys littered about in front of them. She strode past all of them, blindly, knowing by heart the exact door she needed. How many times had she visited this hall in her dreams? How many times had she envisioned this day?

Apartment 212. She came to a halt before the door. It was entirely unremarkable. Not even a mat to wipe shoes on.

For a long moment, she didn't move. The large man at her side pulled down his hood, still wet with rain, to reveal the short, unkempt mohawk made from his dark brown curls, the crisscross of tattoos along the side of his neck, and the scar that ran across his cheek and nose, and another down the side of his chin. He scratched at the considerable stubble on his jaw, staring at her shamelessly. She didn't seem to be interested in moving. He cast furtive glances up and down the corridor, shifting uneasily behind her. His hand came up reflexively to rest on the concealed grip of the shotgun at his lower back. He was about to lean forward and knock when she spoke.

"Do you know what I'm going to do to her, Vega?"

His last name was all he had told her about himself, the only name she ever called him by. Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. He strained to hear it, but she didn't seem to be speaking directly to him. The look on her face told him that she was miles away, revisiting some memory. Her hands clenched into trembling fists at her sides. He thought for a moment he saw sparks of static electricity there, her omni-tool flickering on her wrist for a moment. She startled him with a quiet, hysterical giggle that bubbled up from her throat, remarkably loud in the silence of the corridor. His eyes widened a bit, his expression growing steadily more panicked.

"I've thought about it, you know… what I was going to do to her when I got here. And now… Now I can't open the damn door!" Her voice rose sharply at the end, almost coming to a shriek in the quiet hallway, and he quickly slapped his large hand over her mouth to stifle her. She didn't fight against his grasp, understandably tense as he crushed her against his chest. They froze, listening intently to the noises around them, both heartbeats hammering as one. A baby cried somewhere above them. There were footsteps, some murmuring, but the telltale whoosh of doors opening was not heard. Vega relaxed after another long minute, and released her.

He scowled at her wordlessly, his brown eyes reproachful.

And she was back to normal, – _normal for her, anyway_ – that wild grin glued in place, but her green eyes were fierce and savage, bloodthirsty. It was bizarre combination, to say the least. Vega wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what sort of shit went on inside that head of hers. She'd hired him to kill for her, to protect her. And that's what he was going to do. The extracurricular activities late at night were just a perk, and she was more than willing. He rolled his massive shoulders to loosen the building tension there. Now she was digging through her pockets, searching for something.

She produced small plastic bag, no longer than his thumb and barely just as wide, filled with dark red granules that sparkled in the dim light of the corridor. _What the hell did she have red sand for?_

A low growl rumbled through him and his hand enclosed around her wrist. She glowered at him, livid, and tried to jerk her hand from his grip, but his strength won out in the end. He drew her closer, his grip vice-like on her wrist. Perhaps he had never realized just how much bigger he was than her, but now they were both painfully aware that he could probably seriously injure her without real effort. She winced and brought her other hand up to pull at his fingers ineffectively.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" he hissed. He thought they had finished with red sand. A vision of her filled his mind's eye, rocking back and forth on his mattress, muttering, clawing at her skin until it bled –

She pried his fingers off her wrist and withdrew from him, rubbing the bruise that was already forming. "Goddammit, Vega, if you'd let me _explain_! It's not for me, it's for her!" she whispered harshly, jerking her head towards the closed door of apartment 212. "That's how she knows me." She didn't meet his eye. She squirmed a bit underneath his furious gaze. "I didn't tell you, but Vosque gave me a bit more to sell and… we needed the credits."

Vega made an angry noise at the back of his throat and took a step back. He'd deal with Vosque later, the sniveling little _bastard_. "You should have told me, Lola," he growled, folding his thick arms over his massive chest. Vega was a lot of things, a liar, a murderer, but he was no drug addict. But when she had crept into his bedroom through the window late one night, carrying that little packet of red sand between her teeth as she crawled towards him, whispering and murmuring and naked, he had given in. It made their sex fantastic, the best he'd had, but it quickly spiraled out of control.

"You are just my bodyguard._ A hired gun_," she spat viciously, her lips twisted into a snarl. "I don't need to tell you _shit_."

Her words stung like the crack of a whip. He hated himself for giving a shit in the first place. He drew back a little, his face impassive and stony, and looked away from her. If that was the way she wanted it. He'd remember this the next time she found her way into his bed, with her questing, greedy hands, and the hushed moans she breathed against his neck that made his skin prickle. Let her ruin her own life. She'd not drag him down with her.

They'd wasted enough time.

She whirled away from him and knocked firmly on the metal door, once, twice, three times. The sound of movement, shuffling around in the room inside, and then –

The door opened an inch or two. She didn't flinch when the barrel of a shotgun pressed against her forehead. Vega's hand twitched to the grip of his own shotgun, but he didn't draw it. Not yet. Holding the gun was a woman in her late twenties, with dark hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck and brown, paranoid eyes. There was boxing tape wrapped around the hands that gripped the gun. Recognition dawned on her features, but she didn't remove the barrel from Lola's forehead. Vega's face remained as impassive as ever, and she spoke quietly.

"Nora Shepard." She spat the name with disgust. "What the hell are you doing here? You got my shit?"

So that was her name. He still preferred Lola.

Nora lifted the tiny bag of red sand between two long fingers and shook it playfully. She arched a brow, the corner of her lips twitched into a smile. Vega had to hand it to her, Nora was a master manipulator. The woman holding the shotgun eyed her mistrustfully for a moment – her eyes flicked cautiously to Vega, sizing him up. There was a moment where it looked like she was going to turn them away, or shoot them. Vega's hands tightened on the grip of his shotgun, tensing for the moment when they'd have to shoot and run.

But it seemed her addiction won out in the end.

She withdrew the gun, and shut the door with a soft whoosh. There was the sound of button presses on the other side, and Vega caught the imperceptible chirp of a deactivated security alarm. Then the door opened in earnest, and the woman stood in the doorway, wearing cargo shorts and a tank top with a logo he couldn't quite see in the darkness. Her shotgun, another Crusader, was hanging from the crook of one arm, as if to remind them. At least she has good taste in weapons. She eyed Vega again, taking in his neck tattoos and scarred face, before jerking her head towards the inside of her apartment.

Nora slunk past her, always graceful, and Vega followed, his hand falling from the grip of the concealed shotgun.

The door snapped shut behind him, and the stranger leaned her shotgun against the wall beside the doorframe. Inside the apartment, Vega learned their quarry's name. Ashley Williams. Where had he heard that name before? The last few years had been a bit of a blur for the both of them, between the red sand, the sex, and planning this moment. They didn't really pay much attention to the news. He had expected Nora to get right into it, but it seemed she was content with draw the moment out. She paced Ashley's bedroom like a panther, left to right, then back again, her eyes never leaving Ashley's back. Ashley didn't seem to notice, or care. She must have had previous experience with Nora's… eccentricities. Vega leaned against the closed closet door, watching his partner's sinewy pacing. He did his best to seem utterly uninterested.

Ashley was pawing through her dresser drawers now, and she produced a credit chit. She reached to hand it to Nora, her free hand twitching for the baggy of red sand that was offered in exchange.

The next moment happened so fast, it took even Vega by surprise, and he had been expecting it.

As Ashley's fingers closed around the bag, Nora's hand shot out, grabbed Ashley's wrist and yanked her close. The bag of red sand fell from Ashley's fingers with a startled gasp. Somehow, from somewhere on her person, Nora had produced a pistol, and pressed the muzzle firmly into Ashley's stomach in the same motion. Nora's whole body was quivering, her eyes overly bright and that same frightening grin had appeared. It was so big Vega thought her face might split in two. Ashley could only stare, open-mouthed, at Nora, her lips forming a silent plea that went completely unnoticed.

"This is for Nathan, you bitch. I'm not sorry," Nora hissed savagely, her face, screwed up in a delighted, disgusted sneer, inches from Ashley's. She squeezed the trigger.

The window of Ashley's bedroom shattered as the bullet ricocheted off the wall. Nora didn't even flinch as shards of glass flew through the air. Ashley clutched at her bleeding stomach, coughing a trickle of blood as Nora released her wrist. Vega stared at Nora, at his Lola, as if seeing her for the first time. He had seen her take lives before, but this. She looked like she was enjoying it. He shivered.

And then Nora was turning away, content to leave Ashley there to die, choking on her own blood. But as Ashley stumbled back a step, gasping raggedly for breath, only Vega caught the motion of her hand as it swung behind her. She drew a pistol from somewhere under her tank top, aiming it at Nora's retreating back.

He reacted without thinking.

In one motion, strangely nimble for such a hulk of a man, he drew his shotgun from under his sweatshirt. He extended his arm, the gun held firmly in one fist, and pressed the muzzle against her already bleeding stomach. He pulled the trigger without hesitation. She turned to stare at him, another cough producing a new line of blood that dribbled down her chin, the Carnifex still clutched in her hand. Slowly, she sunk to her knees, her body curving to the ground in a delicate arc before it hit the carpet with a dull, wet thud. She lay, eyes wide and unseeing, dead upon the floor.

Nora turned at the sound of his gunshot, to see him standing over her body, his shotgun held tightly in his fist. He leaned forward as a shaft of light fell across the logo on her tank top, illuminating it.

He felt suddenly numb. He'd recognize that symbol anywhere. He'd seen it in vids as a kid, and immediately realized where he had heard the name before.

He rounded sharply on Nora, who took a defensive step back, ready to run. Her eyes were pained, but he didn't see remorse there. "A Council Spectre? You had me kill a _Council fuckin' Spectre_?" he thundered, gesturing fiercely with his shotgun at the corpse on the carpet. With the sound of his heart pounding in ears, he didn't seem to realize how loud he was being, and Nora lunged forward, lithe as ever, to silence him with her mouth. He tasted red sand and blood on her lips and tongue, he felt her fingers digging into his meaty shoulders, sliding up to his neck, her smaller frame taut, standing on tiptoes, pressed against his chest. He heard her small moans against his mouth –

This was wrong. This wasn't how he wanted it to happen.

His head spun with sudden visceral, paralyzing fear and nausea, and he pushed her away roughly, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth. She stumbled back, looking lost for the first time since he'd met her. He began muttering in frenzied, rapid Spanish. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the cooling dead body of the second human Spectre as he paced, agitated, back and forth across the tiny bedroom. Now it was his turn to be the frantic one, as she stood, stoic and unmoving, watching him.

"We have to get the _fuck_ out of here, now," snarled Vega, managing to cease his moving for a moment to look at her.

But she wasn't looking at him. She had turned her head slightly, towards the front door, concentrating. The unmistakable sound of someone knocking on the door had caught her attention. Without moving her head, her green eyes flicked to Vega's face. He swallowed hard. _Shitshitshit_. Someone was attempting to gain access to the apartment to check on the noise. But the door was locked. No one could get in without sufficient hacking skills, or a passcode key.

They didn't move, didn't breathe, for what seemed like an eternity, until the sounds of a chirruping omni-tool sent ice through their veins. They weren't sure if that was the sound of a bypass module being activated, or a passcode key being entered, but they weren't going to stick around to find out. Nora bent, snatched the dropped credit chit and the baggy of red sand, and slunk past him to the broken window. She eyed him, and jerked her head towards it. He hesitated, and then caught sight of the assault rifle peeking out from underneath the dead Spectre's bed sheets. Without thinking, he snatched it up and hurried back to her side. He drew his hood over his head as he threw a leg over the windowsill. His foot caught the lamp on the nightstand and knocked it to the ground. A jagged piece of glass scraped a gash against his thigh, caught some of the fabric of his dark pants, but his body was running on pure adrenaline now, and he didn't even notice. He shoved the stolen assault rifle under his sweatshirt, into the holster normally reserved for his shotgun. He swung his other leg over the sill, and shoved the shotgun into her hands.

The sound of the doors whooshing open made her heart turn to ice in her chest. She froze as footsteps, soft and hesitating, caught her attention. A squat old woman in a pink robe and silk pajamas had entered the apartment now, and had a clear view of the pair from the doorway. Vega swore under his breath in Spanish, and reached out and grabbed her by the waist. He easily hoisted her out of the window, shotgun still clutched tightly in her hands, and cradled her against his chest as he turned and ran, as fast as his legs could take them, away from the building.

The old woman was shouting now, shuffling to the window as they disappeared into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Vega ran. The rain came down upon them, as hard as ever, blurring his vision as he raced away from the apartment. It eviscerated the muddy trail of footprints he left in his wake, so he could only hope the investigators wouldn't find them too quickly. His mind was racing, scrabbling faster than his boots on the wet pavement of the city streets. _Shit shit shit, I just murdered a fucking Spectre!_ He had known that Lola's – no, _Nora's _– target had been an officer, but a Spectre? He didn't get paid enough for this bullshit.

When he could run no more, he turned into a dead-end alleyway, filled with stray cats and lined with garbage, and set her abruptly upon her feet. She staggered away from him, clutching the shotgun to her breast as she leaned against the opposite wall. He doubled over, bracing his hands against his knees as his lungs gulped cool, wet air. Rain was falling about them in sheets now, unrelenting. Maybe the keepers had forgotten to turn it off? At this point he was grateful. He was also unbearably hot. With a yank, he pulled his sweatshirt over his head and off, revealing the practically skin-tight tank top he wore beneath. He dropped the sweatshirt to the filthy ground. He could feel her gaze on him now, appreciative and lingering.

He turned to look at her, still panting heavily, his chest heaving from exertion. His legs trembled a little. He was rewarded with her smoldering, wanting stare. She bit down on her lower lip as she regarded him. In one long stride, he closed the distance between them and pressed her against the wall, his mouth crashing into hers roughly, mindlessly. He didn't care, he didn't _care_ – he just needed a distraction. His large hands grasped her hips hard enough to leave bruises, and he ground his hips firmly against her with a groan. She could already feel the hardness of his arousal, pushing insistently against her thigh. She inhaled sharply at the sensation, a hiss against his lips, grinding herself against him in kind with a ragged moan. She swept her tongue, the bitter tang of red sand still lingering, across his lips and he obeyed, automatically, opening his mouth to allow her entrance.

She bit down, hard, upon his bottom lip. He tasted blood.

He grunted against her lips and gave her a hips a quick jerk, lifting and smacking her back against the wall as punishment. This was how it went, brutal and fierce and unkind. Both seeking the pain as well as the pleasure. Their lips met again, hungry and ferocious, vying for control. Her hands were hurriedly undoing the buckle at his jeans, while his own hands moved over her petite figure. They explored beneath her sweatshirt, knowing she wore no bra, and kneaded her breasts brutally hard, pinching the already hardened nipples and giving them a tug. She writhed at his touch with a groan, her leg lifting and wrapping itself around his hips. He crushed her, hard, against the wall, lifting her other leg effortlessly, until she was suspended in his grasp.

Now frantic for release, to feel _something_, she struggled with the buckle of his jeans while his free hand rucked up her shirt to grant him access to her breasts. He took a nipple into his mouth and laved his tongue over the rosy bud, causing her hips to buck wildly against his. She pleaded, whimpered, thrashed under his expert handling. His hand worked the zipper of her jeans open and with deft practice, he slipped a finger inside her, then another. There was a delicious burn as he stretched her, his callused fingers rubbing against her slick heat, his head bent to worship attention on her breasts. He bit down on a nipple. She bit his shoulder in kind, to keep from screaming. Her fingers worked at his buckle, fumbling.

His rumbling growl only fueled her frustration. He nipped again at her breast, hard, and she rewarded him with a shocked gasp.

At last, she freed him, and pulled down his jockeys, just enough to expose him. His girth bobbed against his stomach. He lowered her feet to the ground, and turned her, pressing her face and her exposed breasts against the rough stone wall. He pushed her jeans and smalls just underneath her buttocks, and slid into her without preamble, eliciting simultaneous cries of pleasure from the pair. His length filled her entirely, and he groaned as he began to set a punishing pace. She bowed her back, moaning, as one of his rough hands left her hip to cup her breast, pinching and tugging and squeezing. The rain came down harder now, slicking their bodies with rivulets of cool water.

They rocked against one another ferociously, his fingers flexing, digging hard into the flesh of her backside. She clenched around him and he grunted with each powerful stroke, leaning forward to bite her shoulder, his other hand coming up to knead her unattended breast. Like two wild varren in heat, his chest and stomach pressed firmly against her arching back. His hands were moving again, never settling in one spot for too long. One of his thick arms coiled around her waist, holding her in place. Coarse fingers came around her thigh to rub at the apex between her legs as their hips slammed into one another. She gasped sharply, throwing her head back against his shoulder. He'd certainly never done that before.

A low growl rumbled through him, reverberating through his chest and against her back. She couldn't tell, but it sounded immensely pleased by her reaction. His fingers continued to press and rub against her, and it was so _good_, and all at once, the white-hot coil spiraling tightly inside her snapped and she came, her orgasm ripping through her like wet fingers through tissue paper. He wasn't too far behind, his hips' movements erratically twitching against hers as he spilled inside her with a stifled groan.

It wasn't unusual for him to step away almost immediately upon finishing. But it hurt more, somehow, this time. She turned to face him as he moved away, her clothing still in disarray, small red splotches raising on her breasts and stomach from the rough wall's surface. She wanted more. She sidled up behind him as he was adjusting himself, her hands slowly sliding across his ribs and over his stomach, slipping her hands under his tank top. She pushed her frame against his back with a sigh that she knew got his blood pumping. His movements stilled, momentarily distracted by the warm press of her flesh against his.

"More," she demanded, her voice a silken purr in his ears. She delighted in seeing his jaw clench with restraint. Her hand slid down the length of his stomach, fingers encircling his fading hardness, stroking him teasingly slow. He stiffened almost immediately at her touch. A groan escaped him through gritted teeth, and he turned quickly on his heel to push her back against the wall. He hated that she had him wrapped around her finger like this, but her slender hands squeezing and stroking him – he'd give her anything to allow it to continue.

She could barely think, with his mouth hot and wet on her neck, suckling the beads of sweat and rain, his hands surprisingly gentle this time as they explored her. She arched into his caresses with a moan. He answered her moan with a rumbling groan of his own, his hips pressing against hers demandingly. Her mind worked furiously through the pleasurable fog settled around her thoughts, and her hands began to search her pockets for that tiny packet of red sand. He could never resist when she spread the little granules across her breasts and beckoned him towards her; she got as much pleasure out of watching him snort it off her as she did when he fucked her.

But she couldn't find it.

Vega noticed her shift in demeanor immediately. He lifted his head, the sodden mass of his mohawk dripping trails of rainwater down his face. He looked at her, scowling a little. "What's wrong?"

"Shit, the red sand is gone! I-I must have dropped it!"

"Good fucking riddance," he snarled viciously.

"Think about it, dipshit!" she snapped, hurriedly pulling her sweatshirt down to cover herself, and pulling her jeans back on fully, pushing him away. She didn't meet his eye. "If C-Sec finds that packet, they'll link us to the crime scene, and then we're screwed!"

Vega turned away from her with a sharp inhale, his hands on his hips. He stood for a moment, rain dripping down his face, his shoulders square and resolute. _¡Mierda!" _ He swore and kicked a crate full of garbage savagely, sending it flying. A nearby cat hissed and scampered away at the sound. Nora had never seen him this way. He always seemed so cool and collected, sometimes annoyingly so. She was always trying to provoke him into some sort of emotional response, and he'd usually give a shrug of his broad shoulders and give her a teasing half-smile. He was hurriedly adjusting himself, zipping up his jeans and muttering under his breath in rapid Spanish. He leaned down and snatched up the wet, dirty sweatshirt from the filthy ground.

Tentatively, she slipped her arms around his waist, leaning her cheek against his wet shoulder. He heaved a sigh, suddenly bone-tired and drained, the sweatshirt slipping from his fingers and flopping to the ground with a wet slap. His hands were on his hips again, and he almost wanted to push her away, to chase her off and out of his life. Every instinct in his brain screamed at him to cut ties and get away from her. She was destructive and dangerous and _too damn close_.

"I told you, Lola," he said, his voice quiet but still edged with savagery and anger. "I fucking _told you_ that shit was no good!"

She didn't speak, just buried her face against his shoulder blade. She could feel his heartbeat hammering against his ribs, could hear his lungs gulp cool, moist air. She squeezed him, her arms suddenly seeming so frail against his large frame. It felt like squeezing a warm rock, all hardness and muscle. If she had the proper words to say, she would tell him. But there was nothing sufficient. No words that could convey her gratitude, her sorrow, her fear. She had never been very good with feelings. Imperfect, treacherous things they were.

He shifted in her arms, turning to face her. She didn't want to look at him. She hated herself. She hated feeling weak. She hated him for making her feel _at all_. His hand came up under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. His eyebrows were pinched together, a scowl etched so deeply into his features she feared it would be permanent. She saw his jaw muscle twitch. Her hand glided over it, feeling the scratchiness of his stubble under her fingers. Her thumb swept over his slightly parted lips. She watched rain water drip down his nose, suddenly enraptured. His arms had somehow wrapped themselves possessively around her waist.

And then he was kissing her, but this was a totally different creature than their previous kisses. This was a new breed, soft and slow and tender and _painfully _sweet, rushing through her like a tidal wave. His hand came up the side of her body, tangled itself in her hair, angling her head just so. It caught her off-guard, made something under her chest writhe with a different sort of need than base, carnal lust. And just when she was used to it, just when her eyes were beginning to close –

He broke away.

It disoriented her, to have his warmth pressing against her and then gone so suddenly, leaving her to stand there shivering. She mourned the loss of what could have been, mouth slightly agape. Were those tears or rain? She abruptly felt as if there wasn't enough air. He stepped around her without meeting her eye, scooping up the shotgun that she had leaned against the wall, forgotten in their lust. He bent, and picked up the sopping black sweatshirt and wrung it out as best he could. He pulled it on without caring that it was filthy and wet.

"Let's go." No familiar nickname, no tenderness to his voice when he called to her. It hurt worse than she expected it to.

The moment was over, irretrievably lost. She turned, all her grace unexpectedly lost, and stumbled after him. He handed her the shotgun without looking at her. He couldn't bear to meet her eye, to look at the pained expression on her face. He hated himself. She took the shotgun from his grip wordlessly, and slipped it under her sweatshirt, shoving the barrel under the waistband of her jeans.

And that was it. Neither of them spoke as they made their way back to Ashley's apartment. He was careful to maintain a distance to her now. Their arms didn't even brush against one another as they walked side by side. She didn't think she would miss the contact so much.

By the time they arrived outside the building, skulking around the same area they had waited previously, investigators had arrived on the scene. There were about 20 men and women scattered in and around Ashley's apartment now. Vega swore quietly under his breath as they watched from the bushes outside, crouched low. It was still early morning, and the grey light provided enough shade in the thick bushes to keep them obscured. But the investigators were putting up a canopy to protect the evidence outside the window from the rain, and they were dangerously close. They edged around them, as quickly as they dared, to get a better view of the interior.

Vega recognized Commander Bailey, but there was another man there, with dark black hair and intense eyes. _The first human Spectre_. Vega glanced at Nora at his side. The troubled look on her face told him that she recognized Kaidan Alenko too, that she'd recognize him anywhere. He somehow got the impression she'd spent a lot of time staring at pictures of him. She certainly couldn't tear her eyes away from him now. He shifted uneasily, unnerved by how quickly feelings of jealousy had swept through him. _Now's not the time for that, pendejo! _

The two men were speaking to one another, short, terse words about the dead Spectre, and finally Commander Bailey left. They watched, silent and drenched in the rain, as the investigators packed up their collected evidence. Eventually, Alenko and two turian C-Sec officers posted by the front door were the only ones that remained. He walked about the room, studying the evidence. They watched as he began piecing everything together.

Vega suddenly pulled the assault rifle he'd stolen from the dead Spectre from the holster at his back. He glanced at Nora. She was fumbling with her pistol, pressing a laser sight mod to the top with a click. She froze at the noise, her heart hammering against her ribs. But the loud rain had muffled the sound, thankfully, and Alenko hadn't seemed to notice. They both released the breath they'd been holding, and adjusted their grips on their guns. He pressed the butt of the assault rifle against the inside of his shoulder, but didn't raise it. Her grip on her pistol was white-knuckled.

He was inspecting the bullet from Vega's shotgun now, pulling it from the wall and staring at it in wonder. Vega mentally kicked himself. He should have known better than to use illegal shredder mods on his ammo. Nora must have noticed his mistake, too, because she cast him a furtive, uneasy glance.

And then Alenko was looking around, and realization dawned on his features. It was now or never. They raised their guns in unison.

Two laser dots trembled on his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't fucking move, _cabrón__!_"Vega's voice rang out, echoing against the solid metal walls that surrounded them. Alenko lifted his hands slowly above his head, to show that he held no weapon, but his face was twisted into a wild snarl of rage, his eyes darting around in search of his attacker. The turians at the door had surged into the room, their assault rifles raised as they looked around for the source. But the echoing of Vega's voice, combined with their excellent hiding spot made them incredibly difficult to spot. Vega jerked his head at Nora in the opposite direction. They moved apart, creeping towards the opposite sides of the window, their guns trained on Kaidan's torso.

"Show your face, cowards!" roared Kaidan to his invisible adversaries, his eyes flicking down to the laser dots that were trained right above his heart. Maybe if he could reach the pistol at his hip… He moved his arm an inch towards the gun.

A gunshot echoed sharply, and a bullet grazed Kaidan's ribs. He inhaled sharply through gritted teeth as a stinging pain sparked through him. Blood, hot and thick, trickled down his side, splotching red on the blue t-shirt he wore beneath his leather jacket. But he didn't dare move again. One laser dot swept upwards to his forehead, where it stayed, quivering. The other one was gone, and he wasn't sure where it was aimed now.

"The next one won't miss, fucker!" They were moving, Kaidan knew – the masculine voice was about a foot further to his left now. Did that branch just move, or was that the artificial breeze generated by the Citadel's life support systems?

Another gunshot rang out. The turian officer to Kaidan's right abruptly slumped backwards against Ashley's dresser, dark blue blood spurting from a deep wound in his neck. He gurgled wetly, blood dribbling across his mandibles and chin, and slid to the ground. He tried to say something, to call for backup, but the gunshot wound had severed his vocal chords. He clawed at his neck, twitched once, and fell motionless. The remaining C-Sec officer whirled in the direction of the shot, but it was impossible to tell where it came from. He moved slowly around Kaidan, and stepped in front of the laser dot on Kaidan's skull.

"No, don't –!"

But Kaidan's warning came too late. Another gunshot and the turian dropped to the floor heavily, dead before he touched the carpet.

Kaidan swore, teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. His eyes darted from side to side, trying to pinpoint their location. "You bastards!"

Vega and Shepard stepped out of the brush, once they determined that the coast was clear. Vega kept the stolen assault rifle trained on Kaidan's chest as he stalked forward, snatched the pistol from Kaidan's hip and tossed it out the broken window with the flick of his wrist. He grabbed a handful of Kaidan's hair and shoved him roughly to his knees, pressing the hot muzzle of Ashley's assault rifle to his temple. Kaidan gave a grunt of pain as Vega thrust his face into the carpet with the barrel of the gun that once belonged to his best friend. Kaidan's eyes locked onto the still, sheet-covered form of Ashley Williams, and his blood turned to ice in his veins.

Meanwhile, Shepard was searching around near the windowsill, outside in the mud, in the window-well itself, for the packet of red sand, frantic. Her hands skimmed over the sill, carefully skirting the broken glass. She whirled to look at Vega, panic-stricken. "The red sand isn't here!"

Vega looked up from Kaidan, startled. "What? Where the hell is it?"

"I don't – " She cut herself off, comprehension dawning on her, her mouth opening wide. "That old skank that caught us leaving! She must've taken it before C-Sec got here!"

"Shit!"

Vega had turned slightly towards her, distracted, and that was all the opportunity Kaidan needed. His hand shot out, lightning quick, and he seized the muzzle of the assault rifle pressed to his temple. In the blink of an eye, Alenko twisted the gun out of Vega's grip, a corona of blue flaring into life and surrounding him with protective biotic flames. Vega stumbled back, momentarily caught off-guard by the sudden movement. _Shit, of course he would be a biotic. _Kaidan surged to his feet, blue rippling around him, and raised the reclaimed rifle. He pressed the muzzle against Vega's huge chest. A heartbeat of silence passed, Vega standing between the Spectre and Nora, the end of the gun pressed against his sternum. It seemed, for a second, as if he was going to come quietly. Perhaps to protect the girl? But then something flashed in Vega's dark eyes, and his hand lashed out to push the muzzle from his chest, to fight back.

But he wasn't fast enough. Kaidan squeezed the trigger. Nora screamed.

Vega stumbled back. A wet, choked cough escaped him. A trickle of blood dribbled from his lips. He sank slowly to his knees, a huge red splotch blossoming across his chest. Nora took a step forward to help him, but Kaidan had aimed the gun at her next, halting her immediately. Tears burst in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks as Vega fell backward onto the carpet beside Ashley's body, his arms limp at his side. He didn't stir afterward, but he was alive, his chest rising and falling irregularly, his breathing labored. He gave another spluttering cough, drawing a pained, ragged gasp, choking on his own blood. Nora looked at Kaidan helplessly, pleadingly, desperate, but the Spectre's eyes were hard and unforgiving. The gun's muzzle barely trembled in his steady grasp.

"Don't move."

"Please!" she cried, hysterical, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please let me help him, and I'll go with you! You can do whatever you want to me, just please, _please_! He's _dying!_"

Kaidan's eyes flicked down to the wounded man at his feet, his biotic barrier flickering out of existence. The red splotch across Vega's chest was widening, his face growing pale and his eyes becoming glassy. He struggled to draw breath. Kaidan hesitated, indecision clawing at his insides. What would Ashley have done? She had always been a no-nonsense kind of Spectre, but he knew better than most that she wouldn't have allowed someone to bleed out while their loved ones watched on helplessly, criminal or no. He maintained a white-knuckled hold on the grip of Ashley's assault rifle, still pointed at Nora, freeing a hand to rummage through his pockets. He produced two large tubes of medi-gel.

"Toss your pistol over here."

Nora's pistol skittered across the floor past Vega's head without hesitation. Kaidan caught it with the toe of his boot. Gun still aimed at Nora's chest, he tossed the tubes of medi-gel onto the floor by Vega's body.

"Make it quick."

Nora lunged forward, collapsing onto her knees by Vega's head. She lifted it gingerly, pillowing it in her lap. Kaidan saw a weak smile on the man's bloodied lips. He coughed again, and the smile was gone, replaced by a grimace. She snatched up the tubes of medi-gel and began unscrewing the caps with trembling fingers. She was whispering soothing words to Vega that Kaidan didn't quite catch as she ripped his tank top off and used it to mop up as much of his blood as she could. She barely even bat an eyelash at the ragged wound in his chest. Kaidan suspected it wasn't the first time she'd seen a wound like that. He noticed it wasn't just her fingers that trembled as she smoothed medi-gel over Vega's wound. Her entire body was quivering, but there was a determination in her eyes as the medi-gel dried, encasing his injured flesh in a solid, sturdy shell.

She leaned down, touched her forehead to his, and tenderly wiped the blood from his chin and lips with his shredded tank top. Kaidan suddenly felt like he shouldn't be watching this. It was too intimate for an audience, but he didn't dare take his eyes from her. Vega gave another cough, but no blood flecked his lips this time. He managed to lift a hand to touch her face, to wipe her tears away with his knuckles. He called her Lola. That made her smile, despite the tears.

He could move, at least. That was good enough for Kaidan. He stalked forward and grabbed Nora by the upper arm. He wrenched her roughly to her feet, twisting her arm painfully behind her back to gain control of her. Vega's head slipped off her lap and hit the carpet, and he struggled to sit up as Kaidan practically dragged her away. The Spectre knew he was too weak to follow them. He'd call for back up as soon as he got the girl alone.

"Wait! _Wait, _no!"

He yanked her, brutal and vicious, from the room, ignoring her struggles, her desperate attempts to get back to the wounded man on the carpet. She was strong, lithe and nimble, but Kaidan was stronger, and his strength won out in the end. He pushed her in front of him, forcefully guiding her down the hallway outside apartment 212. His omni-tool flared to life, and he placed a call to C-Sec while she thrashed in his strong grip, frantic to get back to Vega.

"We need back-up and an ambulance at Ashley Williams' home. Bring cuffs, we've got a suspect injured and in critical condition. I have the other suspect in custody. I'll be doing my own interrogation." It was impossible to miss the implication in Kaidan's voice. But Spectres operated outside of C-Sec authority, so there was literally nothing anyone on the Citadel could do about it, except for the Council.

Kaidan directed his attention to the flailing, hysterical woman in his grip as the omni-tool mitt disappeared. He grabbed her other wrist, twisted it behind her and slapped a pair of omni-cuffs on her. Her struggling had ceased at this point, replaced with defeated quivering, her body occasionally wracked with sobs. He spun her around and pressed her against the wall, to begin the interrogation. He wanted this over with, so he could get on with his life. So he could properly mourn his friend. There were fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. She stared at him with red, tired eyes, her gaze listless. A choked sob escaped her, and she surged forward to get in his face, suddenly fierce. He didn't flinch away, but kept a hand pressed to her shoulder to maintain a safe distance.

"You didn't let me say goodbye! I'll never see him again!" And then she sagged against the wall heavily, energy rapidly leaching from her, murmuring how she didn't get to say goodbye between broken, hiccupping sobs.

Kaidan instantly felt shame, white-hot and nauseating, crawl into the pit of his stomach. He'd let his rage and grief get the better of him. He knew if Ashley had been there, she'd probably punch him. He'd manhandled a grieving, sand-blasted woman, and he had almost forced someone to watch their lover bleed to death. He shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, before reaching behind her, seizing the omni-cuffs and steering her towards the C-Sec cruiser parked outside the building. He was much gentler this time, and she came along without struggling. She was dragging her feet a little, more out of grief and sudden exhaustion than a desire to escape.

He put a hand on the back of her head and guided her into the backseat of the cruiser. She sat down heavily, and slumped over to lie horizontal, curling into a ball as best as she could with hands behind her back. Kaidan slid into the front seat of the cruiser, placed Ashley's assault rifle in the seat beside him and glanced back at her with a frown. At least she had managed to quiet her sobs, so that tears flowed freely but silently from her eyes. She didn't speak, didn't move, save for an occasional hiccup. Her eyes were closed. Kaidan blew out a sigh and started up the cruiser. It was going to be a _joy_ to explain this to Bailey.

As the car lifted into the air, more C-Sec officers arrived to secure the scene. They quickly dispersed the crowd outside the door of Ashley's apartment. But when they entered the apartment to secure the suspect that Kaidan had warned them about, they found only a Spectre's corpse and a warm, fresh patch of blood on the carpet. The officers looked around, scratching their heads, but they found no trace of the mysterious second suspect.

But he was watching. Vega, still woozy from blood loss, crouched in the thick bushes behind Williams' apartment building. He had moved several apartments down from the crime scene, near the corner of the building, and watched the blue and white cruiser soar silently towards C-Sec headquarters. He'd managed to rescue his Crusader before escaping the apartment, and it was clutched tightly in his fist.

"Don't you worry, Lola. I'm comin'."


	5. Chapter 5

The ride back to C-Sec began uneventful and silent, punctuated only by her soft hiccupping sobs. But as the drive wore on, she quickly became more agitated. It had been a few hours since her last hit of red sand, and the withdrawal symptoms were starting to dig their claws in her nervous system. Eventually she sat up and starting fidgeting with her cuffs, until Kaidan shot her warning glare over his shoulder. She stilled at this, wary, but the anxiety and discomfort were starting to get the better of her. It was only a second later that she was shifting again, rolling her shoulders, unable to sit still.

Kaidan was worried this might happen. She was in for a rough ride if the symptoms were starting this early. He set the cruiser down outside C-Sec and opened the doors. She was itching to get out of the cramped car, and practically threw herself from the vehicle.

But Kaidan was pulling her up, and the momentum of her caused her to barrel into his chest with excess force. His arms came around her automatically, and suddenly she was _too close_, her face curved up to meet his. He could feel her breath, the scent of red sand lingering, ghosting across his face. Everything about her disarmed him, and he didn't like it. _This was the woman that murdered Ashley in cold blood._ He recalled Ashley's corpse lying upon her carpet. And he pushed her away, towards to door of C-Sec.

He guided her into an interrogation room, and unlocked one of her omni-cuffs, moved her hands in front of her, and cuffed them to the D-ring welded to the metal table. She sat down heavily in the chair, fidgeting. Her fingernails scratched at her forearms as best as they could with the cuffs hindering their movement, and it didn't take long for her skin to become red and inflamed. Kaidan watched her for a moment, after acquiring the proper paperwork on his omni-tool.

"Am I going to have to restrain you further?"

She looked up, startled from whatever memory she had been reliving. Her fingernails barely paused as they scratched, hard, at her forearms. There were red welts rising rapidly on her flesh.

"W-what?"

Kaidan gestured to her scratching. "I can't have you doing that."

_Scratchscratchscratch_. "I can't stop."

"You'd better try, or I'll sedate you."

Her fingernails halted, but didn't move from her forearm. They simply dug into her flesh without making actual scratches. She opted to rocking back and forth instead, staring out the barred window that overlooked the Presidium.

Kaidan sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Best get it started. He opened his omni-tool and set up a recording program. "State your full name, please."

"Nora Alice Shepard."

Nora? The wounded man had called her Lola. He frowned. Maybe a nickname.

"Alright, Ms. Shepard." She made a noise at the name, eyebrows furrowed. She didn't look away from the window.

"_Nora._ My name is Nora." The scratching resumed. Kaidan did his best to ignore it.

"Alright, _Nora._ Can you tell me what you were doing last night around 11 p.m.?"

A vicious, unkind smile suddenly bloomed on her face. She tilted her chin up, but didn't turn it to face him. Her bottle-green eyes rolled back to gaze at him. He became intensely unsettled as she spoke. Her voice was barely a hiss in the quiet interrogation room, but his omni-tool recorder caught it, nonetheless.

"I was _killing_ your little girlfriend, Ashley Williams."

_Scratchscratchscrach._

Kaidan didn't speak. The silence dragged on, and she was content to scratch and rock and stare out the window.

"Why?"

His sharp voice cut through the silence like a whip crack. The rage had returned, and it was taking every ounce of self-control Kaidan had to keep him from hitting her. She turned her head sharply to look at him, and it was like looking into a mirror. The rage he felt boiling in his veins was reflected there, in her eyes. She stood, pushing the chair back with her thighs, and leaned forward as best as she could despite the handcuffs. Kaidan felt himself lean back just to be away from her.

"_Why?_ Maybe you didn't know your little sidekick as well as you thought you did, _Spectre._" She spat the title as if it tasted badly on her tongue. Kaidan's eyebrows furrowed and now he was standing too, his palms flat on the table.

"What are you talking about?"

She laughed in his face – a short, mirthless bark.

"I'm not telling you _shit._"

Kaidan's hand lashed out and closed around her throat. He didn't squeeze, but he applied enough pressure to let her know that he meant business. Her livid expression faltered for only a second, but there was a definite waver to her lips when it returned. His teeth were bared in a snarl, and he brought her face close to his with a growl.

But before he could speak, Bailey's voice came over the intercom.

"Spectre Alenko, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Kaidan swore and pushed her away from him. She collapsed into the chair and drew her legs up to her chest. He didn't miss her choked sob when he left the room. He rounded the corner and entered the small room to the immediate left, behind the two-way mirror. Bailey stood, arms folded, a grimace on his face. Kaidan could already feel a migraine coming on after this chewing out.

"Three things, Alenko. One, I don't ever want to see you manhandle a suspect like that again. Am I clear?"

Kaidan grit his teeth and gave a silent nod, furious with himself.

"Two, I just received word from the officers that cleared Ashley's house – there was no second suspect there."

Kaidan's eyebrows shot up. "_What?_"

Bailey nodded, fixing his gaze onto the huddled woman in the other room. "Yeah, said they found a fresh patch of blood – they're running it through the system now. If he's got a record, we should have a hit by the end of the day."

Kaidan ran a hand through his hair in frustration. _Perfect._ Now he was itching to get back into the interrogation room. Nora had begun scratching herself again, but this time she focused her attention on the backs of her hands. Kaidan winced when one particularly bad scratch started to bleed.

"Three, we're gonna have to let her go."

Kaidan stared at Bailey, unsure if he had heard correctly. _Let her go? _"B-but I just got her confession! She just admitting to murdering Ash!"

Bailey nodded again and heaved a weary sigh. "I heard it. But we've got no more room on the Citadel for prisoners. We're already pushing maximum capacity in the prison as it is." He paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "We could always put her in Purgatory."

Kaidan made a disgusted noise, scowling. "You mean the slaver ship run by mercs? Where they regularly beat prisoners to death and sell them off to the highest bidder?" He gestured to the woman in the other room. Nora was staring vacantly at the barred window again, rocking back and forth with such momentum Kaidan was afraid she might tip the chair over. She scratched idly at her bleeding hand. Kaidan could see her lips moving, but couldn't hear her words through the glass.

"Look at her, Bailey. She's so addled by red sand she doesn't have any idea where she is half the time! She'd be killed in a _day_ on Purgatory."

"I know, but what else can we do?"

An idea suddenly struck Kaidan. A crazy, stupid, possibly _suicidal_ idea, but it was all he had.

"I'll take her. Release her into my custody."

Now it was Bailey's turn to look incredulous. He fixed Kaidan with a stare that said he was concerned for Kaidan's mental health.

"Why the _hell_ would I do that? What if she goes nuts out and kills you in your sleep? She seems to have a special hatred for Spectres."

"I don't care, Bailey. She knows something about Ash, and I intend to find out what. Sorry, Spectre authority." Kaidan was backing out of the room now, hands raised apologetically. He turned and re-entered the interrogation room before Bailey could stop him. Nora seemed miles away, mumbling to herself, rocking, staring. Uncertainty crawled up Kaidan's spine. Should he really trust this obviously unwell woman in his house? His gaze settled on the bleeding red patches on her forearms and the backs of her hands, and he knew his decision.

He moved forward and uncuffed her from the table. Her hands fell limply into her lap and she looked up at him, lost and so painfully confused that he actually felt his heart ache. He had to remind himself that she had killed, and from her candid confessing to Ash's murder, she had done it more than once. He pulled her to her feet by her hand. She winced and drew back sharply.

"Come on, I'm getting you out of here."

"Why?"

He wasn't sure how to respond. He would have just left it alone and dragged her along, but she deserved an explanation.

"Because you need help. And I want to help you. It's my job to help people."

And he took her by the hand again, and she didn't pull away. He led her to his own car, instead of the police cruiser. He helped her into the passenger seat, and crossed in front to slide into the driver's seat. She was staring at him, her expression flickering between wonder and confusion and fear. He started the car, trying to ignore her unwavering stare. He felt he should say something, to reassure her that he wasn't taking her home to enact some sick revenge fantasy.

"Um…" Very elegant.

"She killed my brother, you know."

Kaidan was so taken aback by this statement that he had to look at her, and almost swerved into oncoming traffic. "W-what? Who?"

"That Spectre. Ashley Williams." Her voice was suddenly very small. She looked down at her hands.

Kaidan wasn't sure he believed her. He wasn't sure he wanted to. But there was something about the distant look in her eyes, the way the mentioning of her brother had made her suddenly still.

"Why?"

"Harbinger."

He blinked and tore his gaze from the sky before them to look at her. "What? What's a Harbinger?"

"Not what, _who._"

"Who, then, is Harbinger?"

She had begun rocking again, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly. "Red sand dealer. Got Nathan involved in his business. Nathan was stupid and young and wanted credits and…" she trailed off, and Kaidan realized she had begun crying again. He fumbled for a minute in the pocket of his leather jacket. He produced a tissue and handed it to her. She stared at it, as if no one had ever handed her a tissue in her life, before taking it and wiping her streaming eyes.

"Nathan was your brother?"

She nodded and hiccupped. "Older brother. I had just started high school when he – " She choked back a sob and pressed her forehead to her knees. Kaidan tried to be patient, for her sake. Minutes ticked by in silence. Finally his burning curiosity got the better of him, and he spoke quietly.

"When Ash killed him." He finished for her, as gently as he could. "But why? Ash wasn't stupid. She would have gone after Harbinger. Why waste her time with someone just slinging the sand for the boss?"

Nora shook her head and looked up at him. "Nathan was selling red sand to her."

Kaidan groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Of course. Ashley had always expressed an interest in biotics, had always been jealous of Kaidan's biotic ability. She had been purchasing red sand and using it to experiment, to feel what he and other biotics did. And she had to kill Nora's brother to keep the secret from spreading, to keep her reputation intact. If only Ashley had told him, two lives, maybe more, might have been spared. His grip on the steering wheel of his car tightened. _Damn it, Ash._

Kaidan glanced at Nora sympathetically. She was looking out the passenger window, clutching the tissue and rocking gently back and forth.

"So how did you get… um… mixed up in the red sand?"

She sniffled. "Nathan wasn't too careful about hiding it. I was a dumb teenager." She lifted and raised on shoulder in a listless shrug. "Was only a matter of time. Don't even like using biotics." He detected a hint of bitterness to her voice there and couldn't help but smile a sad smile at no one in particular. Kaidan didn't particularly like them, either. Wicked bad migraines that crippled him for _days_ weren't really a fair trade-off for moving things with his mind.

"So, um. I'm going to assume you don't… have a home?"

"Does under a bridge count?"

"No."

"Then no, I don't."

"What do you do for clothing, or food?"

"There's a few shelters in the lower Wards that help. I – _We_ steal anything else we need."

She was referring to the other man that Kaidan had shot. Her tone had become accusatory. He flinched. "Well, that's not going to continue, understand? Spectre authority can't cover everything. I'll see if I can get you some clothes later." He could feel her gaze on him again, but he didn't want to look at her and see what sort of expression she wore.

"For now, we'll… get you clean and get some food in you. And you can borrow something of mine to wear." He felt a hot blush creep up the back of his neck.

"What else?"

"W-what?" There was that disarming voice again. He chanced a look at her. Her expression was strange, unreadable. She had lowered her feet to the floor and was leaning a little closer to him. He swallowed.

"What _else_ are you planning to do to me?"

What, exactly, was she insinuating? "Nothing!" He said that a little too hastily. She arched a brow.

He cleared his throat and focused his attention back on the road. This was already feeling like a huge mistake. "We'll be there in a minute or two."

She didn't respond. But at least she turned to look back out the window instead of staring at him. She began to rock again.

Minutes later, Kaidan pulled the car outside the front doors of a medium-sized gated home. Nothing too extravagant, but Spectre pay was good. The rain had finally been reduced to at least a drizzle.

Kaidan got out the car and walked to the trunk. He opened a large duffel bag and produced a wickedly long syringe, filled with purple goo. He removed the protective covering on the needle, and walked over to her door. She had opened the gull-wing door of the car and was getting out when he stopped her. In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed her right wrist, pulled her forearm towards him and pushed the needle deep into her skin. She gasped in pain when he pushed down the plunger a little, depositing less than an eighth of the liquid under her skin.

"_Ouch!_ What the hell!"

He looked at her patronizingly as he pulled the syringe from her arm and rubbed the skin with his thumb to soothe the wound. He noticed her arm was still red and raw from her scratching earlier. He'd have to fix that with some medi-gel. "Don't be a baby. It's just a transponder. So you can't get away from me."

She grimaced and allowed herself to be pulled from the sky car. He didn't release her hand immediately, merely looked at her grimy face.

"Come on. You're pretty beat up. Let's get those scratches looked at." He turned towards the front doors.

Without having much of a choice, Nora followed.


	6. Chapter 6

His house was nice, an old-fashioned ranch-style home with a second story. The outside had a stone-façade, and the roof was slate-gray in color, to match the stones. There were large windows to let in lots of light.

Kaidan entered the house through the traditional door and held it open for her with one hand. She stalked slowly past him, crossing the threshold with trepidation. He turned on a lamp by the door and watched her as she walked around his living room slowly, taking in the bookshelf full of real books, paper and leather and ink. Her hand glided across the baby grand piano tucked into the corner, fingertips ghosting over the ivory keys. He placed the duffel bag in his hand into a nearby armchair and pulled off his leather jacket.

"I'm sorry, by the way."

He looked up at her, and realized that she had somehow gotten very close to him without his noticing. _That could be problematic._ She was staring at him again, her green eyes luminous.

"F-for what?" He couldn't keep the stammer from his voice.

She reached out and he balked, but her fingertips touched the wound in his ribs, the shallow trench dug by the bullet that ran horizontally across his side. The blood on his shirt had dried now, but the wound was still tender. He inhaled sharply. He'd forgotten all about that.

"My finger slipped."

"You mean you didn't mean to –?"

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "No, Vega played it off like it was intentional, but I don't like guns. My finger slipped." She shoved her hands into her pockets and turned away from him, to stalk to the large vid-screen opposite a black leather couch. He stared after her, his opposite hand coming under his ribs to rub the sensitive spot of flesh.

"Vega. Was that the one who I –?"

She cut across him sharply, without looking his way. "Yes. Thank you for… letting me save him."

Minutes of silence dragged on, and now she was looking at the framed pictures of his family on the wall shelves. Her fingers traced his mother's face, lingering. Aside from her brother, she hadn't mentioned any other family. Maybe they were all dead? She picked up a picture frame gingerly – it was made from real glass and her hands were shaking. From withdrawal or something else, he wasn't sure.

Kaidan came up behind her, and saw that she was holding the frame that held a picture of his father. It was an old photo, from before the First Contact War. Kaidan's father was younger, and he looked just like Kaidan himself. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked from the picture to Kaidan's face.

"That's my dad," offered Kaidan, reaching around her to take the frame from her hands. "Military man. Still serves in the Alliance. Everyone says I look just like him." He smiled, but it was tight, and faded too quickly, replaced by a slight grimace as he placed the frame back on the shelf.

She was scratching again.

Kaidan cleared his throat and looked down at her. "So. Um. Food first, or shower first?" His hands came around her wrists, stilling her incessant scratching. Her fingers twitched. She was very close to him again. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"…Shower might be nice."

He pulled away with a nod, as casually as he could, but was relieved to be away from her. She followed, as lithe and fluid as ever, but there was a distinct twitchiness to her movements now. She hadn't said as much, but he knew she must be desperate for red sand. He showed her the guest bathroom and fetched towels and rags for her from the linen closet beside the bathroom door. She watched, silent, absorbing the information.

She stood in the door of his guest bathroom, towels pressed against her breast, and the surreality of the whole situation suddenly struck him. Ashley was dead, and her murderer was being treated like a guest in his home. He frowned, so abruptly his eyebrow twitched. He muttered something to the effect of 'make it quick' and turned away from her.

"Clothes?" she called after him, and he halted.

"Shit, right." He turned quickly on his heel and stalked to the other end of the hallway, wrenched open his bedroom door with more force than necessary, and opened his dresser. A burning blush was creeping up the back of his neck now. He didn't want to think about her in his shower, wearing his clothes, sleeping on his guest bed. But the images came to him anyway, and he took a moment to collect his thoughts, leaning against the dresser.

When the moment passed, he snatched up a t-shirt, a pair of briefs and some loose fitting shorts. He had nothing for the top half of her underwear, of course, but he didn't dwell on it. When he returned to the bathroom, she had already entered. He could hear the water running through the door. He hesitated for a minute, his hand on the doorknob. _Come on, man, you're a Council Spectre. She's just a red sand addict. You can do this._

He opened the door.

He thought his head might explode. The blush on the back of his neck was blossoming in full force across his face, all the way to the tips of his ears. She was standing there, her back to the door, completely nude. The steam from the shower had already began to fog the mirror, and she turned to look at him, entirely unashamed of her nakedness. He glimpsed an intricate tattoo of curves and whorls across her lower back before she turned. And now he could see _other things_. He quickly averted his gaze from her, holding out the bundle of clothes.

She took them from his outstretched hand, her fingers brushing against his. He didn't like the feeling of electricity as their skin touched. He didn't like how comfortable she was being _totally naked_ in front of a complete stranger. He swallowed hard and practically ran from the room. She shut the door behind him with a click.

He stood in the hallway, hands fisted in his pockets. _Damn it damn it damn it. _This was going to be a huge mistake, he could already tell. Five minutes in and he had already seen her naked. And now the image was burnt into his mind. He'd only caught a glimpse, but he could recall with clarity the curve of her hip that melded into her thighs, the subtle swell of her breasts that flowed into her muscled torso. His blush deepened to crimson and he stalked from the hallway and into the kitchen.

He threw himself into cooking something, although it was just busy work and his mind was free to wander and he didn't like where it wandered to. He burned their food more than once in his distraction. Muttering to himself, he didn't notice when the shower turned off. He was miles away when she slunk to the door of the kitchen.

He started at the quiet sound that came from behind him. She stood there, hair damp and clinging to her face, wearing his blue t-shirt and the briefs he had given her. His shorts were hanging from her hand at her side. She leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, and food was suddenly forgotten. He couldn't help it. His gaze moved over her, lingering appreciatively on her exposed thighs and calves. The red welts across her forearms and backs of her hands had receded somewhat, and they had stopped bleeding, but they were still raw.

"You're burning the garlic," she said quietly, watching him watching her.

"Shit." He turned back to the stove and turned off the burners. Their food was almost finished. He'd prepared some steaks and vegetables and some mashed potatoes. The instant powdered crap, but he had hoped to liven it up a little with some garlic. Looked like that might not happen. He swore under his breath and moved a fork through the garlic to inspect it. They appeared salvageable.

She sidled up behind him and peered over his shoulder at the food he was making. As if they were old friends or lovers, she rested her chin on his shoulder, her hands moved over his hips slowly, wrapping themselves around his stomach. He wasn't sure if she was just really comfortable with anyone and everyone, or if she was deliberately playing him. His hands fumbled as he stirred the slightly overcooked garlic into the mashed potatoes.

"Where are the cups?" she said quietly, flustering him further by how close to his ear her voice was. He gestured wordlessly to a cabinet. She slipped away from him and he unexpectedly missed her warmth. _No, stop it. She __**killed **__Ashley, you dipshit. _This thought seemed to ground him, and he felt a little less jumpy now. She had retrieved a cup and was filling it at the sink now, but he didn't miss the subtle shaking of her fingers as she downed the entire glass in one go and refilled it.

"Is it bad?" he asked quietly, and she lowered the glass to look down at her feet. They both know what he was referring to.

"It's nothing I can't handle."

This answer was incredibly unsatisfying. He grimaced and retrieved some plates for them. "There are ways to –"

She cut across him again fiercely. "No." There was no other explanation. Kaidan didn't press it. If she felt she could handle the issue, then who was he to question her strength? He fished out some silverware and began placing food on plates. He handed her a plate, and she took it gratefully. She began to tuck in right there, voraciously shoveling veggies and spoonfuls of potatoes into her mouth with gusto.

"I have a table, if you prefer to sit." He couldn't keep a teasing note out of his voice and she looked up, licking some mashed potatoes from her upper lip.

"Sorry. Not really used to grub this good," she offered apologetically. The compliment made his stomach jump pleasantly. He retrieved a beer from the fridge, popped it open on the edge of the counter and strode past her to the dining room. She followed, still eating as she settled into a chair opposite him.

"So. Tell me about your brother."

Her demeanor shifted instantly, and her eyes became distant and withdrawn. He realized he might have made a mistake in asking. She picked at the food on her plate with a fork, suddenly disinterested.

"I'd rather not."

Another uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Kaidan grit his teeth and took a swig from his beer. When she didn't speak or offer any sort of explanation, he started to eat, just to keep his hands busy.

"Did they arrest Vega?"

He looked up. Oh right, he hadn't told her. He swallowed his mouthful of food and took another sip of beer. "Actually, no. When the other officers arrived, he was gone and no one can find him. They're running his blood through the system, though."

She nodded. He suddenly realized she must have expected this. The news didn't seem to surprise her at all. She had begun to scratch again. He frowned and got up, startling her from her thoughts. He disappeared down the hallway for a moment and returned with a medical kit. He set it on the floor and turned her chair towards him, away from the table. He knelt down and opened the kit, retrieved two tubes of medi-gel and some bandages, then closed the kit with a click.

He looked up at her and held out a hand. She stared at it, confused. He reached out and grasped her hand gently in his, and pulled her arm out towards him. He opened the first tube of medi-gel with his free hand and squirted the gel onto her forearm. She winced as it came in contact with her raw skin, but the hiss of pain devolved into a sigh of relief as he spread it across her gashes with his fingers.

She was watching him, he knew, and he felt the hot blush creep up his neck again. "I was a medic before I became a Spectre. Taking care of people is, uh… it's sort of my thing." He had begun to wrap bandages around her forearms now, to protect the less powerful medi-gel, and to prevent further scratching. He secured the bandage in place with some tape and turned his attention to her other arm. He repeated the same process on her other forearm, and when he was finished, he stood and picked up the empty tubes and medical kit. He turned, but her voice stopped him.

"Thank you."

"It's not a problem."

"No, I mean." She struggled for a moment, looking uncertain and uncomfortable. "For… for letting me save Vega. For helping me."

There was another silence between them. Kaidan wasn't sure what had prompted him to take this addict, this _murderer_, into his home and care for her like a stray cat. Perhaps it was simply his Spectre status urging him to do right, or maybe his medic training that made him want to take care of her. Maybe it was just desperation for companionship, as pathetic as that sounded. Or maybe he just liked helping people.

"Don't worry about it."

He left the room. He was still hungry, but his stomach was jumpy for some reason, and he couldn't even fathom eating right now. He found himself in his bedroom, standing at the foot of his bed. He shed his bloodied and ripped t-shirt, and glanced at the wound in the mirror he had hanging from his closet door. It didn't look too bad. He hastily applied some medi-gel on it and turned towards his private bathroom. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her standing there in the doorway of his bedroom.

"_Shit!_" He didn't like how easily she could startle him. She was too damn quiet. He'd have to take a page from Ashley's book and start sleeping with a pistol under his pillow. "D-do you need something?"

She was eyeing him, that same strange predatory look in her eyes as her gaze swept over his muscled torso. Underneath his embarrassment, he felt a tiny thrill of pride when she bit her bottom lip.

"I'm sort of tired," she said, after a long minute of silently regarding him with that appreciative look in her eyes. "Where can I crash?"

He gestured down the hallway, suddenly self-conscious. "Door across from the bathroom."

"Show me?"

He hesitated for only a moment, before walking past her to show her the door he meant. She followed, and when he opened the door, she slipped inside and sat herself upon the bed. It was a simple room, with a bed and a night stand and a dresser that was empty. There was a painting of the Presidium on the wall behind the bed, and a mirror above the dresser. She leaned back on her elbows and regarded him. His throat was suddenly very dry. He cleared it with a cough and began to back out of the room.

"Yell if you need me."

"Oh, I will."

She seemed to enjoy watching him blush. He took a step back, and in his haste to get away from her and her silky voice and the utter _confusion_ of the whole situation, he bumped into the nightstand and tripped backwards out of the room. He landed with a thud on his backside, just outside the open bedroom door. From where he was sitting, he could see her fall over onto the bed in a fit of helpless, snorting giggles, and he scrambled to his feet.

"Shit! Sorry! I-I should go."

And he quickly walked back to his bedroom, blushing furiously. Her laughter carried down the hallway after him.

He spent the afternoon actively avoiding her. He organized his books, did some paperwork for Nora's case, conveniently leaving off the part about how he was harboring a known criminal now. He did some research into this "Harbinger", of course finding nothing. He also couldn't find anything on a Nathan Shepard. He took an extra-long, extra-_cold_ shower, but that somehow didn't stop the fantasies. Under the icy stream of water, he leaned one palm against the wall and closed his eyes.

This had all gotten so confusing so fast. And now the image of her, wearing _his_ briefs, _his _t-shirt, came to him, unbidden. He pressed his forehead against the wall of his shower. He palmed his aching hardness slowly, allowing the vision to fill his senses. He could feel her smooth skin under his, could almost imagine her moans and soft sighs.

A quiet groan escaped him as he stroked himself, hand moving a little faster. And now the imaginary Nora was pulling off the shirt he'd given her, leaving her only in the borrowed briefs. She was murmuring in his ear, her lips were on his neck, her hands were sliding across his chest.

Another groan and his hips twitched against his hand. He stroked faster, biting his lower lip. The fantasy continued – Nora was crawling up the length of his body, her mouth hot and wet upon his thighs, moving upwards to take him whole without hesitation. And she was moving, her tongue laving over his shaft. It wasn't his hand now, but her mouth, and he tilted his head back a little.

And when she moved further upward and settled herself astride his hips, his hands firmly groped her backside, and then he was inside her and it was _fantastic…_

He inhaled sharply as he came, his seed spilling from him, instantly washed away by the cold water.

He finished the rest of his shower quickly, suddenly embarrassed by his fantasies. He toweled off and dressed quickly. He took a moment to stare at himself in the mirror. "You're getting in too deep, buddy." He spoke quietly to himself, leaning on the sink. "She _killed _Ashley. She's probably killed others, too. Just gotta keep your head on straight."

He didn't sound entirely convinced. He made his way to his bed, utterly exhausted, and collapsed onto the mattress. He didn't have a conscious thought as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

He awoke suddenly, in the pitch black. Someone was touching him. In a blind panic, he flailed, his hand coming into contact with what had touched him. His fingers found soft flesh. The panic in his chest abated a fraction. At least it was not an intruder.

"…_Nora?_ What –"

She silenced him with her mouth, her lips sweet and soft and almost unbearably hot against his. He roughly pushed her away, spluttering. Her hands were on his chest, her legs rubbing against his, her face close to his in the darkness.

"_What are you doing?_"

"I need it," she pleaded, her voice was in his ear, silky smooth and rough with desire and dear _God_, it was erotic. Kaidan shivered as her hands moved over his naked chest, her blunted nails digging at his skin. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her away, extricating himself from her with difficulty. He rolled away and stood up. He could barely make out her silhouette in the darkness of his bedroom, the artificial moonlight peeking through the blinds covering the windows. Bars of silvery light rippled across her as she sat on his bed, trembling, shivering, writhing.

"Get out."

"Please." She rocked forward, crawling to the edge of the bed on all fours. "_Please._ I need it. I'll make you feel good," she purred, and she was standing now, advancing on him, pressing him against the wall and kissing his neck with those soft, hot lips. He grit his teeth and pushed her away once more.

"_Out!_"

She shrank back from the sharpness of his voice and scurried from the room without a backward glance. Kaidan was on her heels, herding her from his bedroom. He shut the door behind her with a snap and turned to lean his back against it heavily.

Time for another cold shower.


	7. Chapter 7

After _another_ icy shower that did little to dampen the smoldering heat of fantasy, Kaidan tried to lie back on his bed. But sleep eluded him. His mind was filled with images of her, haunted by the memory of her lips on his. He tossed and turned, claiming only an hour's worth of fitful, uneasy sleep before giving up. The dawn was just starting to blossom in earnest when he finally arose and dressed in jeans and a clean t-shirt.

This was definitely a morning for coffee.

Scratching at the implant scar behind his left ear, he headed out to the living room, but stopped dead in his tracks. The scene before him was not something he had ever experienced in his life.

His living room was a mess. There were trails of ripped paper littering the floor, shards of glass from a broken picture frame he gingerly stepped around. A few of his books had been yanked from the shelf and thrown onto the ground, some were missing pages. He suspected that was the paper confetti that dotted the carpet. And at the epicenter of this hurricane of destruction, was Nora.

She was lying on the carpet, curled over into a ball. Her knees and arms were tucked underneath her, her forehead resting on the carpet. He couldn't tell if she was asleep or just unconscious. He picked his way through the debris and crouched by her side. There was no way to tell how long she had been out here. Guilt gnawed at him ferociously. Had she come out here after he had turned her away? He tentatively stretched out a hand and rubbed her back.

Nothing. She didn't move. He rubbed a little harder, shaking her gently. She awoke suddenly with a shriek. Kaidan shouted in surprise and jerked back from her. He threw his hand behind him to catch his fall, and his palm landed on a shard of glass. Pain shot through him like a bullet, and he lifted his hand to look at the damage, wincing. The glass had embedded itself deep into his palm, and now it was bleeding profusely. In one quick motion, he yanked the shard of glass from his flesh with shaking fingers and hissed with pain.

He looked up at Nora, grimacing, and was relieved to see she was less panicked than before. She crawled over to him, brushing aside the shards of glass, to look at his palm. He recoiled with another hiss when she touched his hand.

"Are you okay?" he said softly, through gritted teeth. This was the second time she'd inadvertently injured him. She looked up at him with those mossy eyes, tearing her gaze from his bleeding hand.

"Me? You're _bleeding_."

"You screamed."

She looked away from him now, but he caught the blush blooming across her cheeks. She stood up without responding, and fetched a medical kit from the hallway closet. She returned to his side, carefully picking her way through the sea of broken glass to sit beside him. He watched her as she applied medi-gel to his injured palm. When she pressed down too hard on his wound, he grunted and jerked back a little.

"Don't be such a baby," she teased. He glowered at her.

"Did you have to destroy my living room?"

She had begun wrapping his hand in a bandage now, but her movements jerked to a standstill when he spoke. She refused to meet his eye as she resumed winding the gauzy bandage around his palm. He relished the feeling of her skin against his. Maybe this would help abate the fantasies that had been plaguing him. He noticed she had removed the bandaged around her forearms. There were fresh scratches along her skin, and he frowned.

"I'm sorry," was all she said in response, as she tied the bandage in a neat little bow at his wrist. She was standing, and by the time he stood, she had replaced the medical kit and returned.

His uninjured hand came around her wrist and he lifted her hand, to look at her forearms. She didn't resist, didn't speak. "Nora, let me help you," he pleaded, and he met her gaze. He wasn't surprised to see anger there. But he was disappointed. She yanked her arm away from him and turned towards the kitchen. She was striding away before he could stop her.

"You got a broom?"

"Next to the fridge," he replied wearily, scrubbing the back of his hand across his forehead. She returned seconds later, and shoved the dustpan into his uninjured hand. Together, they silently cleaned the mess she had made.

In her rage, she had destroyed the picture of his father, smashed the frame and ripped the photograph to shreds. He guessed it was because of the family resemblance. Once again, guilt ate at him as he worked. But what else should he have done? Just let her into his bed and given in? Taken her out and enabled her addiction. In his mind he knew he made the right decision. But his gut wasn't buying it.

Once the living room was cleaned, Nora sidled up to him slowly, almost shyly. That was unusual in itself.

"Are you going to go after him?"

"Who?"

"Harbinger."

Kaidan hadn't considered this. He supposed as a Spectre, it was his partly his responsibility to root out criminals and dispense justice. But he had never heard of this Harbinger until now. How big of a crime boss could this guy be if no one was aware of him? He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought, and she waited patiently, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I-I don't know, Nora. I mean, I'm not a Justicar. I can't just drop everything to go hunting for this guy."

"I might be able to help you find him."

He blinked. "How?"

She wasn't looking at him again, and he abruptly knew where this conversation was going.

"Shit. Nathan wasn't the one involved in Harbinger's business, was he?"

She shook her head, looking down at her hands.

"You were the one that worked for Harbinger." It wasn't a question. She nodded tentatively and Kaidan pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He could feel a migraine coming on.

"I'm sorry," said Nora, in a very small voice.

"Damn it, how am I supposed to help you if you _lie_ to me?"

She fidgeted, and finally looked up at him. "I didn't mean to lie… I-I just…" Tears flooded her eyes and Kaidan almost wished he could die right there on the spot. He reached out and grabbed her chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his gaze. He brushed away her tears with an absent swipe of his thumb. _Bad idea bad idea bad idea! _His brain screamed at him, but he wasn't listening. She was _so close_, her stomach pressing lightly against his, her breaths warming his throat and chin.

"Just. Stop. No more lies. I have to be able to trust you or this isn't going to work and Bailey will ship you off to Purgatory. And I won't be able to stop him."

She nodded, a tiny movement of her head that he only caught because they were mere inches apart. He could feel her heart hammering against her ribcage, reverberating through him as well, down to his very bones. He swallowed and pulled away, berating himself for making such a stupid mistake in the first place. He definitely did not want to get too attached to this woman. _She murdered Ashley, she murdered Ashley, she murdered Ashley…_ The thought became a mantra to him, steeling himself against her disarming advances.

"Alright, we hunt Harbinger. First things first, you need some clothes and I need some food. Preferably some coffee to go with it," he grumbled and sat on the couch to pull on shoes. She stood there, wearing his t-shirt and briefs, watching him, rocking back and forth. She scratched at her forearms.

What the hell was he going to do with her?

He stood up and cleared his throat. "M-maybe you should stay here."

Her rocking halted. "Why?"

He gestured to her bare thighs. "Not exactly dressed to be seen in public, are you?"

She looked down at herself, holding out the hem of his Spectre t-shirt to get a better view of it. "Yes, I suppose I would draw some attention to myself." She nodded in mock solemnity, and Kaidan smiled in spite of himself. When she smiled in return, Kaidan's heart skipped a precious beat or two. And his brain immediately threw up several red flags.

_You stupid shithead. You are falling in love with the crazy woman that killed Ashley._

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and stumbled backwards toward the door. "Uh… I-I better go. Don't… go anywhere. Um. Don't answer the door, either." He turned towards the hook that held his leather coat, stopped and turned back around to look at her reproachfully.

"And don't _touch_ anything."

She rolled her eyes in the sassiest way imaginable, and pressed both her palms together under her chin, like a praying nun. She cast her eyes heavenward and fluttered her long eyelashes, in an impression of a perfect innocent angel. Kaidan couldn't help but laugh a little.

He plucked his jacket off the hook and hesitated only a second before pulling it on and exiting the house.

As he slid into the driver's seat and started the car, he realized abruptly that he didn't want to leave her. He knew she'd most likely be fine by herself for a few hours, but the thought of her being alone and _needing_ him for something wasn't pleasant. And he wasn't sure which scared him more – the fact that he was afraid for her safety, or the fact that he didn't want to be apart from her.

Nora watched him from the window as he left, and after a few seconds of watching his sky car recede into the distance, she brought up her omni-tool.

"Vega? You there?"

There was a few seconds of silence, and then:

"Yeah, Lola. I'm at the gate. Can you let me in?"

"Gimme a minute. I don't know where he keeps the buzzer…"

She searched around Kaidan's house, looking for the intercom that would allow Vega entrance. She finally found the little intercom box mounted on the wall in Kaidan's bedroom. She pressed the button, held it for a heartbeat and let go, and spoke into her omni-tool again.

"Did that work?"

"Yeah. I'm comin' in."

"Don't let anyone see you."

Vega snorted derisively over the omni-tool call. "Don't think we have to worry about peeping toms, Lola. This fucker doesn't have a neighbor for miles. I've been scoping the area since breakfast."

There was a quiet knock at the front door. Nora skipped over to open it, and there stood Vega, looking smug and oh so suave, leaning against the door frame.

"Delivery," he said with a cheeky smile, and then he could say no more, because she was yanking him in by the t-shirt he wore and kicking the door shut behind them. He didn't need much more encouragement than that, but her smoldering eyes were certainly a good incentive, too. He closed the distance between them and then his mouth was over hers in a desperate, brutal kiss, eliciting an excited gasp from her. He pinned her against the door, his arms around her waist, crushing her against his chest. His fingers fisted in her hair, and he pulled, exposing the curve of her neck. He bit and nibbled at her pulse point, making her writhe.

"I missed you," she gasped into his ear, and he growled against her neck appreciatively. He pulled her away from the door and carried her, quiet easily, over to the couch. He deposited her unceremoniously onto the sofa, and crashed down against her, groaning as he felt her fingers pulling insistently at his jeans. Well, he was never one to leave her wanting. He sat back, his fingers joined hers, and he undid the fly of his jeans. She was wriggling out of the borrowed briefs.

"Ugh, what the fuck are you wearing?" he teased, leaning down to kiss her again, one arm sliding underneath her back and bringing her hips to his. She whimpered as his tip pushed against her slick folds.

"Shut… up… and fuck me!" she gasped, and he chuckled against her neck. Her hands encircled him, guiding him forward. In one smooth movement, he slid home with a groan. She arched off the couch to meet him with a shocked, pleasured cry.

One arm curved around her waist as he set a pace, brutal and hard and fast. The white hot coil of pleasure began spiraling tighter and tighter, wound up ever tauter by his powerful groans and her whimpers of desire. He bit down against her shoulder as his free hand moved between them to rub with clumsy, over-large fingers, and she arched against him with a ragged moan.

"Fuck! Oh fuck, Lola!" he gasped into her ear as she clenched around him, and he could feel them both nearing the edge already. She reached up and seized his face, pulling his mouth down to hers in a breathless kiss, their tongues sliding across one another's fiercely. And she bit down on his lower lip. With a few final thrusts, they fell over the precipice together, amidst grunts and moans and breathless gasps.

Vega collapsed against her, bracing his forearms on either side of the couch to prevent crushing her beneath his weight. She sighed, content, and leaned up a little to kiss him again, her arms slipping around his neck. He sighed against her mouth.

"I missed you, too, Lola." His hand came to cup her face, to bring her in for another sweet kiss. "Now, down to business, no?"

He sat back on his heels, adjusted himself and re-buttoned his pants. He lifted her borrowed briefs from the floor and slipped them back on her, his fingers lingering on her bare thighs. She shifted, watching him through lidded eyes. And they almost got started again right there, but she sat up with a sigh and got to her feet.

"He wants to go after Harbinger, and I want to help him," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him into the kitchen.

Vega snorted derisively, allowing himself to be led. "What for?"

"Think about it. We catch Harbinger, kill whoever the hell he is and we can take over! We could be the richest sons of bitches on the Citadel!" She turned to face him, standing on tiptoes to plant a teasing kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Vega didn't look convinced, but he turned his head to kiss her on the lips, and she shivered against him. "What makes you so sure you can find him?"

Nora wrapped her arms around his neck. "Have a little faith, Vega." He rolled his eyes. "Are you hungry? This guy's got some good grub. He's got some beer, too." Her voice took on a slight singsong quality and she backed towards the fridge.

He chuckled and followed.

Kaidan returned two hours later, laden with a few bags. He found Nora napping on the leather couch, the blanket from her bed tucked around herself. He looked at her for longer than he'd like to admit, before slipping into the guest bedroom and depositing the bags containing the thing he'd bought. He felt more than a little strange at purchasing things for a strange woman, but he tried not to think about it too hard.

When he left the room, she was there, standing by the door and he tried not to look as startled as he felt.

"S-sorry. Did I wake you?"

She shook her head, and leaned around the door the see what he had left in the guest room. A hot blush crept up his neck as she slipped past him and began rifling through the bags.

"I-I had to guess the size for a lot of things. Women's sizes make no sense," he mumbled, and she looked at him with a smile.

"Thank you. Um… Mr. Alenko?" She grimaced.

"Uh, Kaidan is fine."

"Thank you, Kaidan."

He nodded and ducked into the kitchen. He didn't want to admit to himself that his name had never sounded so good before. Until it had come from her mouth.


	8. Chapter 8

And so the hunt for Harbinger began. Nora had a few leads to go on, but neither sounded very promising (or _safe_) to Kaidan. One was a mercenary boss that had a nice little empire built on the Citadel, who had contacted Nora after she put out feelers on the extranet for information on Harbinger. Not much was known about this boss, other than the handle the mercenaries went by – the Silver Varrens. Bit of a silly name, but the group was anything but silly. And the other lead…

"A stripper?"

"I believe they prefer to be called _exotic dancers_."

They were out on the Presidium, eating lunch at Apollo's Café. Over the past week, they had become a little more familiar with one another, but it was still awkward as hell. More than once she had walked in on him as he was exiting the shower. He was almost certain she had done it on purpose, because she was always giving half-assed excuses. _'Oops, just needed to borrow your toothpaste,'_ or '_Oh, I'm sorry, I was just seeing if you were alright. You were taking a long time!' _He couldn't even bear to yell at her on these occasions, he was too overwhelmed with embarrassment and just a teensy bit of pride. She was actively trying to see him naked. She hadn't actually _succeeded_ yet, but still.

"A stripper," reaffirmed Kaidan, looking at her dubiously. She took a bite of her sandwich and made a face. Alien food was never as good as the stuff Kaidan cooked for them at home. He was even teaching her how to do more than boil water – which she was somehow still _failing_ at.

"_Anyway_," Nora said, rolling her eyes. "She sent me a message and said she had some information on Sovereign."

"Sovereign? I-I thought we were after _Harbinger?_" He didn't know who was responsible for these ludicrous code names, but he sort of wanted to punch them.

"Sovereign is Harbinger's lieutenant – his right hand man. We find Sovereign and he'll lead us right to Harbinger."

Kaidan scowled. "I don't like it."

"So you've mentioned. _Several times_, I might add. It's getting a little annoying, your negativity." And here came the teasing. It was something Kaidan was used to by now. When she wasn't making him intensely uncomfortable by constantly trying to_ touch him_, she was flirting, teasing, and deliberately nettling him to see what sort of reaction he'd give her. But he was getting better at dishing it out as good as he got.

"Well, maybe if we had something more to go on than a _stripper_ and a criminal…"

"_Merc boss,_ not a criminal. Honestly, Kaidan, if you can't exercise good manners, I won't be able to take you anywhere."

He smiled into his glass of beer as he took a sip. And then there was the sound of breaking glass. He looked up sharply to see she had dropped her glass of water and it had shattered across the table. Her hands were shaking. Scratch that, her whole body was quivering uncontrollably, and her hands were clawing at the skin of her forearm underneath her hooded sweatshirt. She whimpered a little, her face contorted with pain. Several people were starting to stare.

Kaidan leapt into action. He got up and slipped an arm around her shoulders, helping her to her feet and guiding her from the café while a worker began cleaning up the shards of glass that littered the table and floor.

"Come on," murmured Kaidan, his free hand grasping her wrist gently to cease the scratching.

The withdrawal was the toughest thing to deal with. At the best of times, she was irritable and withdrawn when the urge for red sand hit her. At the worst, Kaidan would wake in the dead of night and find her curled up, sobbing, on the living room carpet, knees tucked underneath her and her forehead resting on the floor. Her fingernails would be bloody, shallow red gashes running the length of her forearms. She'd plead, she'd bribe, she'd threaten, and all he could do was hold her. She would be wracked with spasms, like this one, where intense pain prevented her from doing much more than crying on his mattress.

Kaidan helped her to the sky car lot, and eased her into the back seat of his car. She preferred the back, where it was darkest, where she could lay down or curl up. He clambered into the car after her, and after a few taps on an interface screen, he set the car's autopilot for his home. She curled into his lap, sobbing and shaking, and he held her against his chest. His large hands began rubbing slow, soothing circles along her back.

"It _hurts_," she whispered against his neck and he nodded.

"I know. I know. But you'll be okay."

"Please," she begged, her voice ragged and hoarse. "_Please_, Kaidan. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

Kaidan's jaw clenched, and he squeezed her closer to his chest. He guided her hands around his neck, so that her fingers wouldn't scratch at her forearms. They fisted in the fabric of his shirt, and she sobbed against his neck.

"You know I can't," he said quietly into her hair, trying to keep his voice even. "You'll be alright. We'll get you home and you can relax, alright?"

Another choked sob bubbled from her and she curled up tighter in his lap.

_Damn it._ At that point, he'd sooner rip his heart from his chest than see her in any more pain. He'd never admit it to her face – _he could barely admit it to himself –_ but he'd gotten ferociously attached to her over the past couple of days. At the back of his mind, he knew how foolish it was to get so close to her. She was a murderer, a drug addict, and _psychologically unhinged._ But he didn't care. She was also smart, and funny, and she challenged him like no one else had in years. They'd argue about everything, from galactic politics to favorite foods to sports teams, and every single argument left him frustrated and angry, but he always came back for more.

She shivered in his grasp, and he glanced down at her to see that she had managed to fall asleep. _Or she passed out._ He couldn't decide which thought comforted him less. He leaned forward a little to check the sky car's progress. Good, they were almost home.

He took a moment to look down at her, shamelessly drinking her in. There was a little knot of worry between her eyebrows. He reached up and smoothed it away with his thumb gently. She shifted fitfully in her light doze, mumbling something he couldn't quite catch.

He blew out a heavy sigh. _How the hell had this happened?_ Everything in his life was going just the way he wanted, and now his best friend was dead and he was living with her murderer – practically married to the damn woman. And he was falling in love with her, to boot. To say this was an alarming turn of events would be the understatement of the entire _cycle_.

She jerked suddenly and her eyes flew open. For a panicked moment, she looked lost, eyes flicking around desperately, and then her gaze found Kaidan's face.

"Kaidan?"

"Yeah, I'm here. We're almost home." She shivered and he adjusted her, nestling her head further under his chin, his hands rubbing her upper arms vigorously to warm her up.

"I'm so tired."

"Go back to sleep. I've got you."

She nodded and almost instantly she was unconscious again. At least it was better than writhing in pain. At long last, the sky car was lowering itself down behind the gate of his home. The gull-wing door opened with a whoosh, and he carefully gathered her in his arms. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to carry her from his car and into the house.

But there was something amiss. _Someone else was in the house._

He could tell the second he stepped over the threshold. Small, subtle changes that would have been missed by someone less meticulous than Kaidan. There were a few books that were askew on the shelf, and someone had been moving the framed pictures on the shelves along the wall. His jacket on the hook had been removed and replaced in a hurry. Oh, and the big clue that someone was in his home –

_He was looking right at the fucker._

"YOU!" snarled Kaidan. Luckily, his arms were full of unconscious Nora, or else the man standing before him would be dead so fast…

Vega held up his palms to show that he was unarmed and not a threat. There was an apple in his mouth. He slowly removed it to speak, chewing the bite in his mouth between words.

"H-Hey, jefe... No hard feelings? I know I should. I mean, you did _shoot _me, yanno."

"Yeah, and I'm about to again, shithead. What are you doing in my house?"

Vega gestured wordlessly to the woman in Kaidan's arms. Kaidan swallowed and glanced down at her, not wanting to believe it. "She's been letting you into my house? For what?"

Vega snorted and made a crude gesture with his hands. Kaidan grit his teeth and stalked past Vega to placed Nora down on the couch. He sat down on the edge by her hips and brought a blanket around her. He didn't look at Vega, but he knew the other man was watching. Somewhere, buried deep down, Kaidan felt incredibly hurt by this revelation. He wasn't entirely sure why. He certainly didn't have any sort of claim to her. And if she was sneaking someone into his house to have sex, she obviously didn't _want him_ to have a claim. "Well, she clearly doesn't need you right now. Get out."

Vega gave another derisive snort and folded his arms over his massive chest. "No offense, hombre, but I think I'll wait for her to tell me to –"

"Unless you want another bullet in your _lung_, I suggest you get the fuck out of my house. This time I won't let you live."

Kaidan didn't move as he spoke. He didn't even raise his voice. But it was sharp and clear, and silenced Vega mid-sentence. The larger man scowled at Kaidan, before turning promptly on his heel and striding out the door. Only then did Kaidan get up and shut the front door with a click. He locked it and activated the alarm system. He stood at the door for who knows how long, staring at her sleeping form.

_She doesn't want you. She doesn't need you._

And he believed it.

He turned to leave, to find something to distract his overly-active mind, but then the sound of her shifting on the couch got his attention. She gave a quiet, sleepy moan and sat up. "What happened?"

"Vega was here. _In my damn house._"

"…Oh." Her voice was very small. Silence dragged on between them.

"I thought that –" What _did _he think? He wasn't even sure himself. He stared at her, _scowled at her_, hands fisted in the pockets of his jeans. He felt raw, skinned alive. Everything hurt, and he _hated it_. "If you needed a boy toy, you could have told me. I'm an adult. You didn't need to do this behind my back. You didn't need to _lie."_

"W-what did he say to you?"

"Does it _matter_? You let a stranger into _my house_, and you _lied to me again._"

"I'm sor –"

He cut across her fiercely. "I've had enough apologies, thanks. I just want this shit over with so I can go back to my life." And he stalked from the room without another word. He entered his bedroom and slammed the door shut, shaking the walls with the force. He pressed his forehead against the wood of the door with a stifle groan. He needed sleep, to recuperate, to reset his brain. He ripped off his shirt and the pants came next, and he tripped and stumbled into the bed, leaving a trail of shed clothes in his wake. His head hit the pillow and he knew no more.

He regained consciousness slowly, different sensations coming to his attention one at a time. He felt the crisp bed sheets beneath his fingers, could smell the detergent on them. He heard outside noises of cars passing by. He sat up slowly, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair, and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of his bedroom.

With a start, he realized there was someone else in the bed with him. It was a wonder he was even surprised anymore.

Nora slept peacefully, stretched out on her back with one arm thrown over her face. She was wearing his sweatshirt, he realized, the red one that he never really wore any more. She was wearing little else, and he couldn't really be surprised anymore. Kaidan just looked at her for a long minute, hating himself for getting wrapped up in this. For getting wrapped up in_ her._ As much as he still hurt, he couldn't bring himself to stop caring. He was going to burn, he knew, but at least he could spend his last years tormenting himself with her.

He leaned down, bracing his forearms against the mattress beside her. He reached out and touched her forearm.

"Hey."

She shifted a little, and with a sleepy sigh, she opened her eyes and looked up at him from under her long lashes.

"Hey yourself," she replied and he could barely make out her smile in the almost pitch black of his bedroom. His thumb grazed over the scratches along her forearm.

"I'm… sorry about what I said before. But you aren't a prisoner here. If you need… _guests," _he managed to say the word instead of snarling it, "just let me know. No more sneaking around."

She was silent for a long minute, before nodding. "Okay."

The moment dragged on, and they simply looked at each other in the darkness. She sighed and stretched. He stared. And then Kaidan pushed himself up off the mattress and stood. Nora propped herself up on her elbows to watch him in the darkness. He could feel her gaze on him as he pulled on his trousers and buttoned them. She made a quiet noise of disapproval. He smiled, but somewhere deep down, he knew this familiarity would need to end. It was too difficult, too complicated now.

"Thank you, again. For getting me out of Apollo's. I just wish I didn't keep fucking it up, though."

He pulled a Spectre shirt on, and moved to the side of the bed she was laying on. "Don't mention it." He held out a hand to help her up. He knew he just wanted to touch her again. He was pathetic.

She accepted his hand gratefully and stood, but her foot caught the blankets and she stumbled against him with a sharp cry of surprise.

His arms came around her automatically, to steady her while she found her footing. And then she lifted her head and she was _so close_. Kaidan didn't want to admit to himself how much he enjoyed it, the feeling of her pressed against his chest, her warm breath ghosting across his face. Her nose brushed against his as she spoke softly.

"What would I do without you?"


	9. Chapter 9

"I know I've said this before, but I feel it bears repeating – I don't like this."

Kaidan and Nora had arranged to meet the merc boss on what had been called 'neutral territory', but as they descended further into the Lower Wards, an uneasy feeling had crept into the pit of his stomach. They were passing fewer C-Sec outposts and more shady-looking mercs, all bearing the same crest on their armors – A crudely painted silhouette of a varren in silver paint. She had allowed him to bring a side arm, and his pistol was underneath his leather jacket in a holster. And if push came to shove, he had his biotics, so he supposed he should relax a little.

She reached out and patted his wrist, to mollify him somewhat. "Don't worry, Kaidan. I'll protect you."

"Very reassuring," he grumbled dryly.

She turned to face him, walking backwards down the long corridor.

"What makes you think we're going to get into trouble?"

The side of his mouth quirked up into a half smile. "Well, for starters, I'm here with _you._"

She gasped in mock offense, and put a hand over her heart. She pulled an exaggerated hurt face. "Why, Kaidan, you wound me. You think I can't protect you?"

He chuckled. "Is that what I said? All I said was that you attract trouble. Am I wrong?" Suddenly he lunged forward, panicked, and coiled an arm tightly around her waist, pulling her away from the precipice of a flight of stairs. She gasped and glanced over her shoulder. If it hadn't been for Kaidan's quick reflexes, she'd probably have a very broken neck right now.

"See what I mean? Trouble magnet." He tried to keep his tone light, but instead his voice sounded strained with worry. He grimaced.

She looked up at him and her arms came around his neck. He felt the familiar blush creep up his neck. "You are going to be the death of me," he said quietly, and a strange feeling squirmed in her belly at the huskiness of his voice, at the implication of his words. His eyes were so intense she felt she might melt underneath his scrutiny.

He straightened, placed her back on her feet and released her. "Let's get this over with," he muttered and descended the stairs. After a moment of appreciative staring at his receding backside, she followed.

They walked along the dimly-lit corridor until they came to a door with two krogan guards posted on either side. Both of them bore the crest of the Silver Varren, and both were carrying large Claymore shotguns. Kaidan approached warily, his hand slipping into his jacket to palm to handle of his pistol. Nora put her hand against his wrist with a tiny shake of her head. _We're going to die_, Kaidan thought bitterly, but dropped his hand.

"We're here to see your boss," said Nora matter-of-factly, and the krogan to the left leered down at her with a growl.

"What for?"

"We have business, and it's none of yours."

The krogans exchanged glances, a few grumbled words and then one of them raised a hand to the side of his head to press against his earpiece. It appeared the boss had overheard what was going on. The krogan grumbled again and then the door between them whooshed open.

Nora entered the room, and Kaidan went to follow, but one of the guards pushed him back with one large hand.

"Not you," growled the krogan, his hand on Kaidan's shoulder, and Kaidan's eyes went wide.

"Why is my associate not being let in?" demanded Nora, turning around and folding her arms over her chest.

"Boss's orders," replied the krogan evasively. Kaidan scowled, and tried to push past, but the krogans were too strong. He stumbled back and looked at Nora helplessly. If she was panicking, she hid it well. He certainly didn't feel as calm as she looked.

"I'll be okay, Kaidan, I promise." There was no levity to her voice now. Kaidan nodded hesitantly, and the door closed with another sharp whoosh. He was left alone with the two guards and a sinking feeling deep in his gut.

Did he mention that he didn't like this?

Nora turned away from the door and strode forward to meet this merc boss. She came to a table surrounded by krogans, batarians, and a vorcha or two. All around the medium-sized room were other mercenaries, of varying races. Seated at the head of a table was definitely not what she expected to see.

A human woman, petite in height but muscled well, covered in tattoos from the waist up, was leaning over Citadel schematics, working on a plan for her mercenaries. She was wearing trousers tucked into knee-length boots, and white gauzy bandages wrapped around her waist and over her shoulders to cover her breasts. She had a jacket, black leather and rounded metal studs, cropped short just below her ribcage. Her hair grew in a single stripe along the top of her head, secured at the back of her skull in a ponytail.

The woman looked up as Nora approached, and dismissed her mercenaries with a wave of her hand. Nora took note of the LOKI mechs that lined the far wall. At least half of them were actively holding weapons, but they seemed to be powered off for now. She briefly wondered how easily they could be activated.

"Well, well. You're here for information on Sovereign?" The tattooed merc boss was striding around the table to stand before Nora, arms folded over her breast.

"Yeah. And there's a decent price on the intel, if it's good."

Nora now wished she had been as paranoid as Kaidan and brought a weapon. She didn't like the looks this woman was giving her. Like Nora was a meal, and she hadn't eaten in _weeks_. Nora eyed a shotgun someone had left behind the table, several feet away at the far side. She deliberated for a moment, considering the distance between her and the weapon. She might be able to reach it, if she was quick.

The other woman was circling her now, gaze roaming lazily across Nora's form. Nora stood, as passive as a statue. She was used to being stared at like this.

"Oh yeah, it's good." Nora caught a glimpse of the tattooed woman gesturing crudely behind her back to some of the mercs crowded around the room. A dark chuckle rippled through the throngs of mercs. Nora was painfully aware at how outnumbered she was, but her cool mask did not falter. "But, uh… you won't be getting it, sweetheart."

In an instant, the tattooed woman had produced a submachine gun and had it pointed at Nora's head.

"Sorry, babe. You're real cute, but Harbinger gave orders. You been asking too many questions, and you went and got a _fucking _Spectre involved. He'll fetch a good price, though." She smiled an unkind smile, and her free hand lashed out to grab Nora by the neck. But Nora was quicker. She ducked under the arm and lunged for the shotgun, sliding across the table.

"FUCK! Open fire!" snarled the tattooed woman to her mercs, but Nora had the shotgun in her hands now and raised it level with the tattooed woman's stomach. The mercs had all raised their rifles, but none fired, waiting. The tattooed woman scowled furiously at Nora. She lowered her submachine gun down to her side, but Nora saw her white-knuckled grip on the gun and didn't move hers.

"I'll take that intel now."

"Fuck that!"

And the tattooed woman lifted her gun, pointed it at Nora's chest, but Nora got there first. Two gunshots rang out in the room. The tattooed woman crumpled to the ground, lifeless, and the mercs standing around faltered. A few lowered their weapons and glanced at each other, uncertain. Nora held the shotgun in one hand and strode around the table to crouch by the dead woman. She found a data drive in the breast pocket of the leather jacket and slipped it into her own sweatshirt pocket. None of the mercs tried to stop her as she walked towards the door.

It opened with a whoosh.

Kaidan stood there, blue biotic flames licking his body, one krogan guard lying unconscious on the floor and the other held in a pulsating stasis field. He had one hand held out to maintain the field, but let it drop when Nora appeared. The krogan collapsed heavily to the floor and didn't move again. She didn't care if he was dead or just unconscious.

"I was just about to – Shit, you're _bleeding!_"

Nora looked down at her arm. There was a bullet hole in her bicep, and thick blood was dripping down the length of her arm. She seemed entirely surprised by this. She reached up to poke gingerly at the ragged hole with her index finger. It didn't even hurt. How on earth did bullets kill people? She felt fine.

"Wow, look at that. Ha, she was a terrible shot."

"Don't _touch_ it," Kaidan said roughly, and pulled her closer to inspect the wound. He bent his head a little to wipe away the blood ineffectively with the sleeve of his leather jacket. She smiled as his arm came around her waist to steady her against his chest.

"Well, if this is the reward for getting shot, I might just put myself into the line of fire more often."

Kaidan looked up, his jaw taut. There was no smile on his lips. Hers faltered a little underneath his intense stare. He felt as if he'd aged 10 years in the span of 10 minutes. He went back to inspecting her wound. It appeared that it was a through-and-through shot. At least, he couldn't find any evidence of a bullet still inside the wound.

"Or not…"

"Don't _do that_ again, please."

"I wasn't really given much of a choice, you know."

"We could have walked away. Is _revenge_ really worth dying for?"

"Yes."

There was zero hesitation. He looked back up at her sharply, eyebrows pinched together in a scowl. She didn't meet his gaze, instead looking over his shoulder at the wall behind him. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, and he knew it had nothing to do with red sand.

"You don't know what he's taken from me. Nathan was just the… final straw, really."

Kaidan was silent for a moment as he stared at her. He didn't know if it was his place to ask. He didn't know if he even _wanted_ to know. Some things really were better left unsaid. And she probably wouldn't have answered his questions, anyway. He learned quickly that she preferred to keep herself to herself. He busied himself with searching his pockets for medi-gel. He swore when he couldn't find any.

"Shit, I left the medi-gel back at my house. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged and looked down at the wound. The blood had begun to dry just a little, but it still oozed unpleasantly. A long red dribble lined her bicep and dripped from her elbow onto the filthy ground. She grabbed the short sleeve of her t-shirt and rolled it up, exposing her shoulder. She moved her arm a little, to test it.

"I don't even feel it."

This was what worried Kaidan. He frowned and pressed his thumb into the wound, hard. At least at this, she hissed in pain and jerked back. So the nerves weren't totally dead, just numbed by – His eyebrows shot up. _She wouldn't_. He had thought she had been making progress – her withdrawal attacks had been showing up less and less the past few days and now he knew why.

Her expression grew wary as she watched him piece it together. She looked away guiltily when he glared down at her.

"How did you get it?"

She fidgeted, refusing to make eye contact. He grasped her chin firmly with his thumb and forefinger and forced her to look up at him. He felt like he was reprimanding a child. The lost, helpless look in her eyes did nothing to alleviate that.

"_Nora._"

"…Vega brought it for me."

Kaidan broke away from her to stalk the corridor angrily, his hands on his hips. She looked down at her hands as he paced. He couldn't find the words to say, to tell her what a punch to the gut this was. In the end, he opted for a disappointed silence, and stared at her for a long minute.

"Let's get the hell out of here, before the mercs change their mind about letting us go." And he strode away, back down the passage in the direction they came. He didn't even glance back to see if she was following and it stung more than she had expected it to.

He didn't speak to her the whole car ride back to his house. They sat in a stony silence, each gazing away from one another, until the car glided to a stop. He didn't get out immediately, and she didn't move, either. It was several seconds before Kaidan could give voice to his thoughts. He spoke quietly, choosing every word very carefully.

"You're better than this, Nora. You deserve better than Vega. You deserve –" He cut himself off and stared angrily at the steering wheel. Nora's eyes were fixated on her knuckles. The silence dragged on between them, and Kaidan suddenly felt suffocated by the confines of the car.

"We've got another lead to chase. Come on." He opened his door and slid out of the seat. This time, though, he waited for her. She opened her door and slowly got out of the car. As she moved in front of him, he grabbed her gently by the wrist. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him with those sad, mossy eyes.

"Hey. No more, please." There was that worried strain to his voice, the furrowed knot between his brows. It felt strange, to have someone care for her like this. She supposed Vega cared, in his own way, but despite his aversion to red sand, he had been the one to push it into her palms when he snuck into her window last night. Vega had been the one to convince her to use, after she had said she was trying to quit.

"I... I'll try," she said softly, and that seemed good enough for Kaidan, for now. The worry lines in his face smoothed and he seemed to breathe a little easier. He nodded and released her hand.

As she ascended the stairs behind him, she knew in her heart that she was a _liar._ She had no intention of stopping, had no intention of ever stopping. He just didn't understand, and she wished she could explain. But there were no words. She knew that Vega was coming over later that night, in fact, and she knew that he'd be carrying another bag of red sand in his pocket when he climbed into the window.

"I did get some info," she offered, her voice very small as they stepped through the front door. "Might help us get to Sovereign."

Kaidan glanced at her as he shut the door and removed his leather jacket. "Maybe. Let's get that bullet wound patched up first." He turned and fished the medical kit out from the hall closet _again_. He'd definitely need to stock up on medi-gel with her around. She lowered herself onto a dining room chair, kicking off her shoes and drawing her legs up to her chin. Kaidan knelt beside her and began cleaning her wound.

"So, let's discuss how I was _completely right_ and how you are the biggest trouble magnet I've ever met,"Kaidan said gruffly and she laughed. He determined in that instant that he would make it his sole mission in life to hear that sound come from her as much as he could.

"Maybe it's not _me_ that's attracting all the trouble."

"Oh no, don't you go blaming this on me. I never had so many near-death experiences in a week until you came barreling into my life."

"Well, then, you should be thanking me! See how exciting I've made your life?"

Kaidan made a derisive noise in the back of his throat and glowered up at her. His heart leapt at her playful smile. He smoothed medi-gel over her wound and applied a gauze bandage to it with some medical tape. "All done."

She flexed her arm experimentally and beamed down at him. "What would I do without my trusty medic?" She reached out and ran her hand through his hair, scraping her blunt fingernails lightly against his scalp. He felt his biotics spark and pop at her touch and she jumped a little, but didn't pull away. His pulse skyrocketed. He cleared his throat and reluctantly pulled away.

"You'd have fallen down those stairs and broken your neck," he replied, as playfully as he could muster. She laughed again, and he couldn't help but smile broadly. He replaced the medical kit in the closet and returned to the living room.

"Alright, let's have a look at this info," he said, rubbing his palms together eagerly. She produced the data disk from her pocket and moved to the vidscreen. She inserted the disk and joined him on the couch, drawing her knees to her chest as he scrolled through the archives on the disk. A lot of it was just meaningless, schematics of the Citadel, a few casualty lists –

"Wait. Go back to that last one."

He did so with a swipe of his omni-tool, and leaned forward to get a closer look. "Hmm, shipping routes, a list of different ports and docking bays?" He scratched thoughtfully at his chin and looked at her. "What is he shipping? The red sand?"

"Gotta be. When's the latest recorded shipment?"

Kaidan flicked his wrist to scroll through the list to find the most recent entry. "Looks like… two days ago, to a docking bay in the Lower Wards, E75."

"Think we'll find anything if we go there?"

"Only one way to find out. But maybe we should go see this stripper of yours first."

"_Exotic dancer_."

He rolled his eyes and ejected the data disk. "Whatever." He stood and snatched it from the vidscreen, and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans. Best to keep this sort of information close at hand. Might be a decent bargaining chip.

"Do we have to go now?" she whined, falling over dramatically on the couch, throwing her arms over her face. "I'm _tired._ I got _shot at_ today."

"Technically, I think you were shot, not just shot _at._ Come on, better to get it out of the way now."

She groaned and moved her arm to scowl at him. "You just want to go stare at tits."

He sputtered indignantly. "_What?_"

She got to her feet and pulled on her shoes, grumbling. "Try to keep your tongue in your mouth while we're there, alright?" she teased and gave his chest a playful push as she walked past and back out the door. Kaidan gawped after her, completely flabbergasted, before yanking his jacket off the hook and following.


	10. Chapter 10

Despite what Nora might've thought, Kaidan didn't care for clubs or bars like Purgatory. Too many people, too much noise, too many bright, flashing lights that set his implant ablaze with migraines. He winced as they entered the club and he was instantly bombarded with pulsating bursts of light and deep, pounding bass that rattled his teeth and made his head throb. He paused for a moment just inside the door and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tightly to fight the oncoming migraine. Something that did not slip past Nora's notice.

She turned back to see that he was hesitating, and came to his side. He barely registered the touch of her hand to his arm. She squeezed and he looked down at her.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Kaidan gestured to the implant scar behind his ear. "Too many lights, too much noise. L2's get migraines at the best of times and this isn't doing much to help."

"We can leave if you –"

Kaidan cut her off with a gesture of his hand because he had looked up and now someone they recognized was approaching. And Kaidan didn't took happy to see him. His jaw muscle twitched and his expression grew dark. Nora turned.

Vega was sauntering up to them, looking entirely too smug. "Hey, Lola." He said with a smirk as she turned to face him. He cast Kaidan a challenging glance, and then he drew Nora into his arms for a kiss that might have been a little longer than necessary. She didn't fight him. Kaidan forced himself to watch for as long as he could but then he finally had to look away. When Vega finally released her, Kaidan was scowling off into the distance, trying not to think. While he was distracted, Vega discreetly slipped two more packets of red sand into her pocket with a knowing smirk.

"What brings you here?" asked Vega, his arm around Nora's waist as he guided her away from Kaidan. Nora gave Kaidan an apologetic look as she allowed herself to be steered away from him. Kaidan's anger suddenly evaporated, and now he just felt tired and defeated. He trailed along after them, staring holes into the back of Vega's head and wondering if his biotics could carve through that thick skull.

"We're here to talk to someone." Nora had gently extricated herself from Vega's grasp as they approached the bar. She accepted the drink that Vega pushed into her hands, but didn't take a sip. A moment later she set it back down on the bar as casually as she could.

_Idiot. She won't take any drinks she didn't make herself_, thought Kaidan viciously. It occurred to him that he knew more about her than Vega, and that gave him some comfort. He stood just within of earshot of the pair, arms folded over his chest and leaned against a wall. His eyes were scanning the crowds, searching for potential threats. Every so often, he'd look back at them, before returning to his ever vigilant staring.

Vega pulled her closer with a sort of feral, lopsided grin and leaned down to kiss her neck. "How about you and I _talk_ instead?" he said, and it was obvious from the waggle of his eyebrows that he didn't mean having a deep conversation. Nora laughed and tilted her head to the side to allow Vega's mouth better access. And then she caught sight of Kaidan's face. He was watching them, his jaw taut with restraint, and his eyebrows drawn tightly together in a dark scowl. But his eyes betrayed a hurt there that made Nora's heart clench painfully.

He looked away from them. Nora straightened a little and smiled at Vega, who didn't look pleased at being interrupted.

"Sorry, Vega. This is important."

"What, your shit with Harbinger? Give it up already, Lola. You are _never_ gonna find the guy."

Nora scowled at Vega and punched him on the arm as hard as she could. He barely moved. "Shut the hell up! We _will_ find him."

"Yeah, you and Mr. Sunshine over there?" Vega snorted. "Look at him, Lola. You've got him wrapped around your little finger, haven't you?"

Nora pushed herself away from Vega angrily. He grabbed her wrist roughly to stop her and drew her back to his chest. She struggled a little against him, but he was unyielding.

"Are you fucking him, too?" Vega's voice was low and threatening now, and his expression was dangerously calm. For the first time since they'd met, Nora was afraid of him. "Come on, Lola. How else you get a _cabrón_ like him to follow you around like he does?" Nora looked away from him as he leered down at her. She tried to pull away from him, but Vega wasn't done with her yet.

He reached down to grope between her legs, hard enough to bruise. She cried out and began struggling in earnest to get away from him, but he had a vice-like grip on her waist and wouldn't let go.

"_Hey!_" came a snarling voice from behind them. And then Kaidan was there, furious, the blazing azure corona of biotics swirling around him menacingly. Several people nearby screamed and ran for the exit, while others on the upper levels were leaning over the railing to watch curiously. Kaidan shoved Vega backward with all his strength, his biotics giving an extra push, and stepped between him and Nora.

"You touch her again, and I will break your _goddamn_ _arm off_."

Vega had stumbled a foot or two back, but quickly regained his footing. He rolled his massive shoulders and flashed an unkind smile at Nora, who was standing behind Kaidan's protective outstretched arm, nursing her bruised side and stomach.

"Now you get to watch me smear your little Spectre _puta_ all over the walls, Lola."

"Just try it." Kaidan's voice was deceptively calm, but the fluttering of his biotics told a different story. Suddenly Vega didn't seem quite so confident. The look in Kaidan's eyes was almost animalistic with rage. Nora came up behind Kaidan tentatively and pressed a hand to his bicep gently. She said his name, softly, and squeezed his arm. He glanced to her, then back to Vega and lowered his arms hesitantly. The blue flare of his biotics flickered out of existence.

"Get out. And if I _ever_ catch you near her again…"

Vega muttered something in Spanish viciously as he walked past Kaidan, scowling. He cast Nora a disgusted look with a shake of his head and left.

Kaidan didn't move for a long moment, save for the deep rise and fall of his chest with each breath, the flexing of his fingers. The crowd lost interest in the altercation quickly, and soon everyone was chattering and drinking and dancing again.

"Are you okay?" Kaidan didn't turn to look at her. His voice was strained.

"Just some bruising. I'll live."

Kaidan visibly relaxed a little and finally turned around. There was still rage in his eyes, burning brightly and ferociously, and she didn't want to admit to herself how much it frightened her. She touched his cheek gently and saw the fury melt away slowly, replaced with frustration, concern, confusion.

"Hey. I'm okay, Kaidan," she said, but he didn't look very reassured. Suddenly, his arms came around her waist and crushed her against his chest in an awkward, silent hug. To say she was taken by surprise was certainly an understatement. It was nice, though, to be enveloped by his strong arms and warmth, his chin resting along her temple. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder.

They stood there for a few seconds, her arms crushed beneath them, her hands curved at her throat and Kaidan's arms around her back, until he seemed to collect himself. He withdrew slowly with a clear of his throat.

"Um… Let's go see if your stripper friend is still here. Or maybe I scared her off and we can leave!" He seemed a little too hopeful.

She smiled beatifically at him. "_Exotic dancer!_ Better mind your manners, I hear she has temper."

"Oh, great. You don't suppose she'd had a pistol stuffed up her –"

Nora cut him off to speak to a male dancer standing by the bar. "_Excuse_ me, but can you tell me where I can find the Cheerleader?"

The dancer turned to her, arching a thick eyebrow curiously. He was a well-muscled man with dark brown skin, a buzz cut, a goatee and a mustache. He was wearing a pair of skin-tight leather slacks and boots. Nora could tell from one glance at his stomach that he did a _lot_ of crunches in his spare time. Maybe even more than Kaidan.

"Why? Getting a dance for him?" The dancer jerked his head in Kaidan's direction. Kaidan sputtered indignantly, but Nora interrupted him.

"No, I need to speak to her. Please, can you tell me where she is?"

The dancer eyed Nora appreciatively and smiled. Nora had to admit it was a very nice smile. "I'll do you one better. Buy a dance from me and I'll show you where she is."

Kaidan was about to turn away in search of another employee, but then he saw that Nora wasn't following. She was standing there, finger on her chin as if she was seriously suggesting taking his offer. Kaidan glowered at her and she winked.

"Can you make it a quick dance?" asked Nora innocently, and Kaidan's head just about exploded.

"_Nora!_"

"What? I was just asking!"

The dancer was smirking between them, his arms folded over his chest. He chuckled and shook his head. "Forget it. Not worth getting punched out." He gestured for them to follow and started walking towards the employee's break rooms. They followed him through the door and entered the changing rooms for all the dancers. They were greeted with bare breasts and cocks, and Kaidan was so mortified he wanted to die right there.

Nora, however, seemed almost placid. She followed behind their escort until he led them to the back of the changing rooms. A slender woman with skin as white as milk was seated at a large mirror, pulling on a pair of strappy patent leather heels. She, at least, was wearing a deep maroon bikini, adorned with rhinestones. Kaidan opted to keep his gaze directed to the floor and nowhere else, just to be safe.

The dancer that had escorted them into the changing rooms gave them a little bow, gestured to the seated woman and left them.

The stripper known as the Cheerleader looked up at the pair of them expectantly.

"My name is Nora. I was the one that contacted you?"

"Ah, yes," said the woman, and she stood. She spoke with a distinct Australian accent, which was unusual In this day and age. "I do have what you're looking for, but it has a price." The Cheerleader leaned into her mirror and began applying makeup over her already perfect features.

"Name it."

The woman halted in her application of mascara and stared at Nora's reflection in her mirror.

"20,000 credits."

Nora glanced at Kaidan over her shoulder. Kaidan begrudgingly opened his omni-tool and began tapping away. When he finished, he nodded tersely at Nora.

"Done."

The Cheerleader's omni-tool flared to life on her wrist and she stared incredulously at the interface. Her gaze flicked uncertainly to Kaidan, who was staring resolutely at the floor with his hands locked behind his back.

"There's a woman, an asari, who can give you the information. She's hosting a gala tonight to celebrate her newest Prothean discovery."

Nora scowled at the other woman and folded her arms over her chest. "And how, exactly, is that worth 20,000 credits? That's been on the news for weeks."

"Because, _idiot_, I am giving you a ticket, with a plus-one attached."

"Oh." Nora's omni-tool flashed and she lifted it in sync with the Cheerleader. A screen came up and she stared at the little animated fireworks as they exploded across the interface.

"Congratulations!" squeaked the little voice, reading the words that scrolled across her screen. "You have been cordially invited to the Prothean Archaeology Gala, hosted by Doctor Liara T'Soni, of Serrice Academy!"

Kaidan had sidled up behind her to watch the invitation's animation play across her omni-tool. "Dr. T'Soni? I know her. There's always a big to-do at C-Sec when she comes to visit the Citadel." He suddenly sounded irritable and bitter. "Bailey always made me and Ash show up to her galas. Apparently it's good for C-Sec morale to have Spectres there."

The little voice on the invitation was continuing. "Please come to the ballroom on the Presidium tomorrow night with your plus-one and be dressed to impress! Black tie is required!"

"Oh no!" moaned Nora, and Kaidan looked down at her sharply, as if expecting her to burst into flame. "What am I going to wear?" He couldn't have rolled his eyes any harder.

The Cheerleader had finished dressing and applying her makeup by now. She gestured towards the door.

"A pleasure doing business with you, now I have to get out there, so if you don't mind…" And she walked past them. Nora couldn't help herself. She stared shamelessly at the woman's receding backside, her head tilted to one side. Kaidan took notice and gently smacked her arm with the back of his hand.

"_Nora!_"

"What! She has a really big ass! It's not as nice as yours, though," she said with a wink and sauntered from the dressing room.

Kaidan didn't think he could find anything else to say. There were no words. With a hot flush blooming across his neck, he followed her. As he always would.


	11. Chapter 11

This had been a huge mistake. Kaidan could see that now. He was sitting outside a dressing room down in the Lower Wards of the Citadel, waiting impatiently for Nora to show herself. He'd been there for well over an hour now, and impatience was beginning to gnaw at him.

After they'd received their invitation to Dr. T'Soni's gala, Nora had been strangely excited by the prospect of dressing up and taking part in some great espionage intrigue. Kaidan hadn't expected her to be quite so… _gung-ho_ about the whole thing. Luckily, he already had a suit that was still reasonably within fashion, but Nora had insisted that he accompany her to find a dress for the evening. He had to admit, the idea of spending an afternoon with her while she was mostly nude only a few feet away _was_ rather inviting.

So he sat, on the cushioned chair outside the dressing room, feeling more than a little awkward. Men shared sympathetic stares with him as they trailed after girlfriends and wives, and all the female employees of the boutique had utterly fawned over him as he sat down. They talked with him, flirted with him, laughed a little too hard at his dry humor, and one even offered to run and grab him a coffee. He suspected Nora was somehow punishing him for their attention by making him wait forever for her to reappear.

"I think this is the one," called Nora, and Kaidan perked up a little.

She pushed open the door and stepped out a little from the doorway. The dress was a rich navy blue, made of a shiny kind of leather or plastic, and practically skin tight. She looked like she had been poured into it. It also ended somewhere just above her mid-thigh, showing generous amounts of her long legs. She turned – and for _God's sake_, it was backless as well. Kaidan swallowed hard.

"Zip me up, would you?"

He virtually leapt from the chair. He found the zipper, just below her lower back, and zipped it up as fast as he dared. It fit her snugly, like a glove. His fingers lingered a little on the skin just above the zipper. The tattoo he had only glimpsed before was more visible now, teasing him just above the material of the dress. It was intricate, all curves of blacks and reds, spiraling around a central design that was covered by material. He'd have given his left arm to see it in its entirety. He took a moment to collect his wits enough to speak.

"It's uh… a little short, don't you think?" he croaked, and cleared his throat. There was that blush again, heating his cheeks and making him entirely convinced he was going mad.

Nora turned and smiled up at him mischievously. "It's making _you_ blush. That's good enough for me! Do you like it?" She stepped back and turned again on the spot.

Kaidan nodded dazedly, and was rewarded with that bright smile he'd come to know very well.

"Alright, let me go change and we can leave. I know you're desperate to get out of here." She was pushing him out the door now, and for a brief moment he hesitated – the impulse to push her into the changing room and cause a _scandal_ amongst the boutique employees was _unbelievably_ strong.

But then he was outside the room somehow, and he looked around in confusion. _Wait, how had that happened?_ He looked back at the door and caught a glimpse of Nora's smiling, impish face as she closed it with a click.

_Shameless minx_, thought Kaidan. He sat back down on the chair and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to calm the hot flush that was spreading across his neck and ears. It had been a _long_ time since anyone had him flustered like this. At the back of his mind, he remembered that she had killed Ashley. She had murdered his best friend in cold blood, but there had been more to the story. Extenuating circumstances. But was that enough to justify it?

Nora had reappeared now, dressed in her normal jeans and t-shirt, the dress draped over one arm. Kaidan didn't seem to notice until she approached and nudged him. He jerked a little and looked up sharply to see her standing there, that damn smirk on her damn face.

"A credit for your thoughts?" she asked as he stood and followed her to the queue forming at the register.

Kaidan hesitated, considering in a brief moment of insanity of telling her. "Nah, my thoughts aren't even worth a credit."

She nudged him gently with her elbow and looked at him, a more serious expression in her eyes. "Come on. You looked like you were going through some pretty significant shit."

Kaidan shrugged one shoulder, suddenly embarrassed by the whole conversation. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

She pursed her lips, obviously disliking this answer, but she allowed the subject to drop. When it was finally their turn at the register, Nora pulled out a credit chit. Wait, since when did she have credits? Kaidan stared at her with narrowed eyes.

"Where did you get that chit?" he asked as they left the store moments later, Nora carrying the bag with her dress and the black patent leather pumps she'd purchased to match.

Nora gave him another impish grin. "Vega wasn't the only one with _wandering_ hands," she said, and wiggled her fingers at him for emphasis. Kaidan's eyebrows pinched together, but there was a small smile on his lips regardless.

"You_ stole_ that from him?"

She tried to look a little bit remorseful, but the playful glint in her eyes gave her away. "Well, he was being a prick! So if I drain his bank account, it's the least he deserves. Besides, half of this money is _mine_, anyway."

"What, were you two divorced or something?" _Why the hell did you say that, you stupid shit?_

Nora snorted. "No. We worked together." Kaidan waited for more, but she didn't continue.

"Doing?" he prompted and she became visibly uncomfortable.

"We were… mercenaries for a while. Worked for this one krogan. Tough son of a bitch. All scarred on one side of his face." She pretended to scratch over her eye and cheekbone with three fingers. She shrugged, and trailed off, hoping he wouldn't press the subject.

"That's it?"

"No, not exactly. We… worked for a man named Darner Vosque for a few years, selling red sand." She shoved her hands into her pockets and her fingers closed around the small packets of red sand that Vega had given her. _Ugh, I'm such a piece of shit._ She took a deep breath and finally looked at Kaidan. There was no judgment in his eyes when he regarded her and that made her stomach do a strange, but agreeable, flip.

"Let's get some food," she muttered and pushed past him. He noted that this was the first time he'd ever seen her blush.

Hours later they returned home, both pleasantly full of Thai food. Tomorrow night was the gala. They wasted time watching the last half of a biotiball game on Kaidan's couch, enjoying another four beers between them. When she passed out in his lap, Kaidan carried her to the guest bed and covered her with blankets. He returned to his own bed, collapsed onto his mattress and fell instantly into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of biotiball and beer, and of her wriggling out of that little leather dress.

Kaidan awoke late in the afternoon and was surprised to find his bed empty. Nora had made a habit of slipping into his room in the middle of the night. He didn't know why. Nightmares? He sat up and got dressed before venturing out in search of her. He found her seated at the piano, still dressed in her jeans and t-shirt from yesterday. She looked like she'd been awake for hours.

She had her hand lightly resting on the keys, stroking the ivory slowly. He saw her tilt her head to one side and mutter something that sounded like a lullaby.

"Everything alright?" he said softly from the door, when his curiosity couldn't keep quiet any longer.

She turned and looked at him with a shy smile and scooted over on the bench. She patted the empty space invitingly and he joined her.

"Do you play?" she asked and pressed a single key with her index finger. The tone resonated clear and strong through his house. The piano was in good repair.

"I used to. My mother taught me." His hands came over the keys and he played a chord, another, a third, all in harmony. He smiled at her modestly as the notes echoed across the house and dissipated. "What were you doing? Looked like you were trying to remember something."

She put her fingers over the keys again. "I was trying to remember a song my brother taught me. It's about 150 years old, but it's a nice one." She pressed a few keys hesitantly, and Kaidan winced as horrible off-note chords assaulted his ears.

She groaned in frustration and her hand fell back to her lap. A pause. She glanced at him, and started to sing, clear and slow and soft.

"_Carry on my wayward son.  
There'll be peace when you are done.  
Lay your weary head to rest.  
Don't you cry no more._"

She trailed off, and looked at him with that same embarrassed modesty he had afforded her after playing. She cleared her throat a little.

"Well, my singing is a little rusty. Just about as bad as my dancing," she joked with a shy chuckle, but Kaidan nudged her with his elbow.

"Would you finish it? Please?"

She looked at him timidly, and the earnestness of his face disarmed her and left her a little disoriented. She sighed overdramatically and looked away, trying to recall the lyrics. She began singing again, more confident now, and Kaidan didn't think there had ever been a sweeter sound.

"_Once I rose above the noise and confusion.  
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion.  
I was soaring ever higher…  
But I flew too high._

_Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man.  
Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man.  
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming…  
I can hear them say…_

_Carry on my wayward son.  
There'll be peace when you are done.  
Lay your weary head to rest.  
Don't you cry no more…_"

When the song ended and the last notes of her soft voice had finally died away, Kaidan could only stare at her as if he'd never seen her before. And for a moment, he felt as if he truly never had. She was a different creature now, all shy and reserved and –

"Beautiful." He said the last word out loud, he realized too late, and she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. That damn smirk had returned to her lips again and he never wanted to kiss it off her as badly as he did now. But instead, he scooted off the end of the bench and started backing away, down the hallway.

"Uh, I better go and do… something else."

And like a coward, he disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door.

She didn't follow him, and he didn't know if he was disappointed or not. He took _another_ cold shower and dressed. This barely ate up half an hour. They still had about 4 hours to kill until the gala. He knew it'd only take him about 2 hours to get ready, and that was if he dawdled. Maybe she would need more time? He didn't know anything about female grooming practices, but from what sitcoms told him, it was lengthy.

He opened the door and walked down the hallway to find her. He heard the sound of the shower running in the guest bathroom. He rapped his knuckles against the wood gently before entering. He didn't want a repeat of the first time she'd come to his house. Well, he _did, _but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

"Hey. Are you getting ready for the gala already?" he asked, peeking in his head with eyes closed tightly.

"It takes a long time to achieve this level of perfection," she said with a coy laugh that echoed across the bathroom tiles and he smiled, turning his head blindly in the direction of her voice.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay…" It was frustrating not being able to see her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Kaidan didn't know how to answer that. He opted for a simple shrug. And then he heard the sound of the water turning off and then her fingers were on his cheekbones, wet and hot and _perfect _against his stubbled jaw. He simultaneously loved and hated that she was always finding new ways to touch him.

"I should… go." And he quickly pulled his head out of the bathroom and shut the door with a click. He swallowed hard and glanced down at the suddenly very tight crotch of his jeans. He really didn't have time for another cold shower right now… Not that it would help anyway. With a quiet growl of frustration he retreated back to his bedroom to _take care_ of the problem.

When he had finally finished, he stepped out to find her standing in the hallway, looking at herself critically in the mirror hanging from the guest bedroom door. She had wrapped a towel around herself, at least. A bead of water trickled down the back of her neck. He tamped down the urge to swoop over and remove it with his tongue. _Down, boy_.

"Um, you hungry?"

"Sure. What are you in the mood for?"

_You._ "I think there's still some Thai leftovers in the fridge?"

She smiled and nodded. "You go get it warmed up."

He rolled his eyes playfully at her. "You're such a slave driver." But he headed into the kitchen to prepare some leftovers.

After they'd eaten (she did this while still wearing only the towel and he swore it was deliberate), she slipped into the bedroom to get dressed. He hesitated for a moment outside her door, fighting the desire to follow her. _Not now, man. _He unenthusiastically turned away from the closed door and entered his bedroom to dress.

Another hour later and he emerged, dressed in the slim-fitting black tux. It had been years since he'd worn it last, but it still fit, tapered to accentuate all the right curves of his body. And as he stepped out of his bedroom, she was exiting hers and the breath was knocked out of him again. He'd somehow forgotten just how tight and slinky that dress was, just how perfectly it fit every curve. And those shoes made her legs look _fantastic._

She had done her makeup and her hair was styled a bit more than average, and that dress was _so short_. She looked up at him with a smile.

"I'm going to assume from your blush and your stare that you approve?"

Kaidan could only nod with a little half grin stupidly glued to his face.

Nora checked the time on her omni-tool. "Ooh, I think we're running a bit late. We should go." There was a mad dash to collect jackets and then they were off.

They arrived at the ballroom indicated by the invitation a little later than was considered fashionable, but Dr. T'Soni still had not shown up yet. They mingled with the other guests, but neither of them really had anything to say to anyone else. Kaidan was bombarded by paparazzi upon arriving, who threw questions about Ashley's murder in his face. He was saved by Bailey, who didn't seem at all pleased to be there. But he was wearing a tux and not his C-Sec uniform, so he had to be invited. Nora spent her time actively avoiding him.

After they'd had a few drinks and the crowd was milling about and the chatter had become a dull roar, the emcee came onto the stage and introduced the band. A group of turians, a quarian, and a _vorcha_ _playing the trumpet_, of all things, came onto the stage and began playing music. The crowd started to pair off. This gave Kaidan an idea that he just couldn't shake.

"Do you want to dance?"

Nora choked on her sip of wine and stared at him incredulously.

"You... really don't want to see me dance."

Kaidan arched a brow at her, and then chuckled so hard he almost snorted when he realized what she was saying. "You mean you can't dance? _You_? The most graceful woman I've ever-" He cut himself off because she was staring at him with that little smirk on her lips and he was acutely aware of what exactly he was saying. Damn wine had made his lips a little loose. He cleared his throat and looked away to hide his blush. "Forget it."

But she had snuck her hand into his, and was now pulling him towards the dance floor. He could only follow, a strange mixture of wishing to impress her and sheer nervousness clawing at his insides.

"So you can cook, play piano, _and_ dance?" commented Nora teasingly, as he pressed a hand against the small of her back and drew her chest flush against his. Her arm coiled around his shoulders and they were very close now. She tried to hide her nervousness, but there was a definite twitchiness to her lips when she smiled up at him, and he could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

"Yeah, it's all pretty much mandatory teaching for all Canadians, along with etiquette lessons and learning ways to properly apologize," he replied and chuckled against her ear, deep and husky. He could barely contain his prideful grin as he felt her shiver against him. They'd both had too much to drink, and the pleasant buzzing at the back of his skull was making him giddy. He suddenly wanted to dip his head and press a kiss against her throat. The look in her eyes said that she would let him, too.

But too late, because then the music had begun, and Kaidan started moving, guiding her through the steps that came to him as easily as breathing. To her credit, she only faltered a few times, and Kaidan had a sudden suspicion that she wasn't being entirely truthful about her dancing skills. Her guilty, playful smile did nothing to change his mind. He spun her and she seemed to know which way to turn, he turned and she followed, and she only trod on his foot once.

As the song drew to a close, his hand tightened around her waist, while the other hooked the back of her knee and brought it up alongside his hips and he leaned forward to dip her. His fingers lingered on her silken calf. Her hand combed through the hair just above his ear, and drew him in, until their lips were millimeters away. And God, did he want it. He could almost taste the sweet wine still on her tongue…

And then the sound of applause broke the spell. The other partygoers had apparently been watching them dance the whole time, and once the song had ended, they had gathered to applaud.

Kaidan drew back with a rueful smile and straightened. She slipped away from his grasp and the moment was lost.

_Damn it._ He stood there, awkwardly smiling at the crowd and giving little waves as the paparazzi snapped holos of him. They all seemed interested in only him, and Nora was quickly pushed to the side as they crowded around. It took him a moment to find her in the throngs of people, but when he did, he saw her backing away with a sad smile, and retreating away from the crowd.

When he finally managed to excuse himself and push through the crowd, he had lost her. He looked around, feeling pathetic.

When he found her again, she was engrossed in a conversation with a male turian and a female quarian. When she saw him approaching, she closed the distance and dragged him over by the elbow to meet the couple.

"Kaidan Alenko, I'd like to introduce you to Primarch Garrus Vakarian and his wife, Tali'Zorah vas Neema! O-or is it 'Vas Citadel' now?"

The quarian smiled – at least, Kaidan _assumed_ she smiled. It was impossible to tell because of the helmet. She certainly laughed.

"It's alright. Either works."

"Primarch, Miss vas Neema, this is Spectre Kaidan Alenko."

The Primarch held out his hand to shake Kaidan's, and Tali'Zorah did the same.

"Tali was just telling me a little about Dr. T'Soni. They're apparently friends."

Tali nodded with another laugh. "Very old friends. She's very excited about this new discovery."

While Nora and Tali gossiped, Kaidan took this opportunity to look at the turian. He was a pale slate gray in color, with blue markings – or were they face paint? Kaidan could never tell – over the bridge of his nose and a majority of one side of his face. The other side was scarred along his mouth and mandible. Kaidan wasn't sure, but it looked like it was a burn from an explosion.

"She's what?"

"There are _rumors," _Tali was saying covertly to Nora, "That our friend Dr. T'Soni is involved with the _Shadow Broker_!"

Now the conversation had Kaidan's full attention. He and Nora exchanged furtive glances. "Is there any validity to it?"

Tali shrugged one shoulder. Kaidan imagined her expression to be mysterious. "She always seemed a bit secretive to me." She picked up a drink with a bendy straw in it and the Primarch leaned forward to help her get the straw into the slot of her mask. Kaidan tried his hardest not to laugh. He had to look away for a minute, pretending to be very interested in finding the restrooms, to compose himself.

The exchanged a few more pleasantries before excusing themselves to a quiet corner to talk.

"If Dr. T'Soni is involved with Shadow Broker, she could really help us out."

Nora nodded thoughtfully, glancing over her shoulder at the guests. She gasped and pulled at Kaidan's elbow, gesturing toward the center of a large crowd.

"There she is!"

Kaidan followed where she was pointing and could barely make out a young asari standing amidst the guests, wearing a deep purple dress that flowed around her ankles. She was followed closely by a circular drone that appeared to be wearing a tiny bowtie beneath its oculus. Dr. T'Soni seemed to be the only asari in attendance, and her light blue skin stood out starkly against the backdrop of the champagne-colored walls and dresses.

"I don't even know if we can get close enough to her to talk."

"Well, we have to try, don't we?" Her hand was in his again, and she was pulling him towards the swarm that surrounded the Doctor.

"How? Why would she talk to us?" he said as they approached the outer ring of guests. A guest pushed him into Nora and they were absorbed by crowd of people.

"You're a Spectre, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm no one important."

"She might recognize you, too. You said you were here for her previous galas. Just lay on the charm!"

Kaidan came up behind her as the crowd shifted its collective attention. Dr. T'Soni had moved up onto the stage to make a speech. The crowd fell silent as she spoke into her drone like a microphone. Kaidan leaned forward to whisper into Nora's ear.

"I'm not that damn charming."

"We both know that's a lie_,_" she whispered playfully and shushed him before he could respond.

"Thank you, Glyph," Dr. T'Soni was saying to the drone, her voice magnified to fill the room.

"Well, I am sure we're all excited about this new discovery! I would like to thank my excavation team for assisting me on Eden Prime with the recovery of the first working Prothean beacon!"

The crowd erupted into applause as Glyph the drone projected a large holo of the recovered beacon. Dr. T'Soni beamed at them and when they fell silent, she spoke again.

"I know I am eager to unlock its secrets! And the faster I get this party over with, the faster I can get back to researching!" A laugh rippled through the crowd. Dr. T'Soni said a few more words and then the crowd dispersed. Kaidan and Nora made their way through the people to the stage, where Dr. T'Soni was speaking with her drone excitedly.

Kaidan hesitated at the foot of the stairs leading up to the stage and glanced back at Nora. She nudged him forward.

_What the hell am I going to say to this woman?_ Kaidan cleared his throat and this seemed to get Dr. T'Soni's attention. She looked away from her drone and recognition lit up her eyes as she saw Kaidan standing there.

"Kaidan, right?" she said as she descended the staircase and extended a hand towards Kaidan. He took it in his and pressed a polite kiss to her knuckles. He was pleased to see she flushed a rich blue, but he knew that Nora would punish him for it later.

"Excellent memory, Dr. T'Soni," he commented with a flirtatious smile. Her flush deepened to violet.

"Oh, you can call me Liara."

"Liara." Another flirtatious grin. He was better at this than he thought.

"Is there something you needed, Kaidan?"

"Yes, my associate and I have heard rumors that you are," he cast a furtive glance in either direction, "_Involved_, with the Shadow Broker, and we wondered if you would do business with us."

If Liara was surprised by the mention of the Shadow Broker, she hid it well. She smiled an easy smile and glanced at Nora mistrustfully.

"I see. Well, you should know the Shadow Broker's information comes at a price."

Kaidan nodded. "We can handle it. We need any information you might have on Harbinger, or his lieutenant, Sovereign."

This seemed to give Liara pause. She stared at Kaidan, a glass of champagne halfway to her lips.

"Well, you cut right to the chase, don't you?" She cast Nora another glance that was entirely unreadable. She opened her omni-tool with a sigh and began looking through some information. They waited.

After a moment, she spoke. "It seems this Sovereign had a bit of a record. Gambling debts, a few restraining orders, and then it's all wiped clean in a matter of days." She glanced at her drone, who bobbed about, the little bowtie sparkling. "I can give you everything I have prior to the wipe." Liara typed a few keystrokes. Kaidan's 'tool bleeped on his wrist and he opened it.

"Here's your price."

Kaidan stared at the interface with furrowing eyebrows and glanced at Nora. She couldn't catch a glimpse of the price before he closed the screen with a few keystrokes. "Done."

Liara smiled and Nora felt like she was missing something. She forwarded the information to Kaidan's 'tool with the flick of her wrist, and finally closed her omni-tool.

"Now payment."

Kaidan sighed heavily. Before Nora could give voice to her questions, he had stepped forward and was kissing Liara. Full-blown dipping and everything. Nora could only stare, open-mouthed, as the kiss dragged on for several seconds, before Kaidan stood upright and placed Liara back on her feet. Both looked embarrassed and flushed and distinctly disheveled. Liara cleared her throat and adjusted her gown.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Alenko."

"Likewise."

And Liara left, her little drone bobbing merrily after her. Kaidan didn't speak, but there was a familiar blush crawling up the back of his neck. Nora's mouth still hung open.

"Wow."

"We'll talk about it later."

"_Wow._"

"We'll talk about it _later._"

"You looked like you enjoyed that."

"You got your info, okay?"

"Oh, so that was done for _my _benefit?" She was teasing, he knew, but there was a hard, hurt edge to her voice and he finally looked at her.

Kaidan turned and shot her an embarrassed glower. He snatched up a glass of champagne from the table nearby and downed in one gulp. He lifted another.

"Trying to wash the taste out of your mouth?"

"Can we go home now?"

She gave him a reproachful look, but she was drunk and he was _wasted_ and it was late. "Let's go."

They were both still ridiculously drunk when they stumbled through the door. Kaidan wasted no time in removing some of the more uncomfortable articles of clothing. He toed off his shoes at the door while his fingers loosened the bow tie knot at his throat. He watched her slink past him, his eyes following her as she settled on the couch with a sigh, tossing her high heels to the floor. Her damn dress had been teasing him all night. It was irresponsibly short, and the back was cut low enough to turn a priest to sin. He swallowed as she stretched, catlike and languid, across the couch. She practically melted onto the leather cushions, curling up and staring at nothing in particular. Kaidan removed the tux jacket, vest and the crisp dress shirt, leaving him in only the slacks and a tank-top.

He sank onto the couch beside her. He turned on the vidscreen, mindlessly channel surfing. She hummed softly to herself. And then she sat up and leaned against him, nestling her head against his shoulder. Maybe it was the drink lowering his inhibitions, or their familiarity after weeks spent together, but his arm came around her automatically. His fingers grazed over the exposed skin of her lower back slowly. The noise that escaped her momentarily disoriented him. He looked down at her, abruptly aware that her face was very close to his.

The wine had made her cheeks rosy, her lips smiling more freely, her eyes were lidded and glassy. He wanted to reclaim that kiss that had been stolen out from under them. As if reading his thoughts, her small pink tongue darted out to sweep across her lips, and that was it. He dipped his head a fraction and captured her lips in a heated kiss, his arm pulling her close fiercely. She leaned into it with a moan, her fingers raking through his dark hair, and then they were shifting, moving to lie down on the couch, Kaidan atop her.

They broke apart to breathe. He pulled his tank top off, but she was rolling over onto her hands and knees, moving away. His arm came around her waist to stop her, pulling her hips flush against his. She arched against his chest, clearly torn. "Hey hey hey, where are you going?" he said huskily into her ear, leaning his head down to kiss her bare shoulder. She sighed, but wriggled a little in his grasp. He kissed her shoulder again and she stilled, tilting her head to one side to allow him better access.

"You're drunk, Kaidan."

"So are you."

"Yes, but I won't regret waking up next to you tomorrow morning." He lifted his head to look at her, but she turned away. She pulled herself free from his grasp, and disappeared down the hallway without a backward glance. He sat back on his heels, staring after her in complete and utter confusion.


	12. Chapter 12

Sleep eluded Kaidan that night. He lay on is mattress with the comforter kicked to the foot of the bed. He stared blindly at the ceiling for hours. His mind, still feeling the aftereffects of drinking so heavily, whirled and no matter how many times he tried to get comfortable, his thoughts would not settle. They all kept coming back to _her_, to the damn woman who had somehow wriggled her way into his life and dominated his thoughts in the wee hours of the morning.

He sat up a little when he heard the creak of his bedroom door, and there she was, like out of one of his fantasies. Shafts of golden light peeked through the blinds over his window and rippled across her body as she moved silently into the room. She had something between her teeth, but it was too dark to make out what it was.

She shut the door behind her with a soft click and leaned against it with her hand still resting on the doorknob, as if she was deciding whether to stay or flee.

Neither of them spoke. Kaidan had propped himself up on one elbow to look at her in the darkness. He was suddenly aware that he wasn't wearing much – just his dark blue jockeys. A fact that hadn't slipped Nora's notice. Her green eyes glinted in the darkness as they raked over his body. He couldn't honestly say he didn't like it.

She came to stand at the foot of his bed, and he barely registered the packet of red sand between her teeth as she grasped the hem of his shirt she slept in and shimmied out of it in one fluid motion. She dropped it onto the floor and stood there as he stared, open-mouthed.

She crawled on all fours towards him like a panther, a predatory gleam in her eye. There was glitter on her skin, sparkling in the half-darkness as the golden shafts of lights undulated over her shoulders and bare back. Kaidan scooted backwards, his heart hammering against his ribs, until his back hit the headboard. She moved closer slowly, the packet of red sand dangling from her teeth, a sharp half-smile pulling at her lips.

_Shit shit shit_.

She opened her teeth a little and the packet fell into his lap, and then her mouth descended onto his, hot and wanting and delicious. Her tongue swept across his lower lip and he obeyed, opening his mouth to allow that devilish tongue inside and she rewarded him with a moan, deep in her throat that sent shivers rocketing down his spine. Her fingers were tearing open the little plastic bag as her mouth worked against his. And Kaidan knew that he wanted this, her, everything. He'd spent far too long denying himself.

It had been strange, to say the least, to experience red sand the first time. And it was made even more difficult with her fingers straying across the front of his jockeys while he nervously leaned over and inhaled as she had shown him.

Blue biotic flames burst to life across his body as he jerked backwards with a hiss, panting hard. Nora's hands came to his face, to steady him as the red sand worked its magic. Red tinted the edges of his vision as the drug took hold.

He felt… he felt _amazing_. His whole body was sparking and tingling. There was a pleasant buzzing somewhere at the back of his skull, and his biotics glowed brightly in the darkness of the room. He grinned energetically and looked up at her with another surging flare of his biotics.

She looked pleased, and he was possessed by the closeness of her.

His arms hooked around her waist and he drew her astride his hips to bite and kiss at her neck and shoulder, pressing her flush against his chest. She gasped and moaned and wriggled, and he drew her lips down to his for another searing kiss, his hand cupping the back of her neck. The red sand coursed through him like _fire_ and he needed to taste her, to feel her, to see her writhe under his touch.

He pushed her off his hips with a sudden growl and she fell back against the mattress with a sharp gasp, looking up at him as his hands slid up and over her thighs. He watched with hungry eyes as her breathing grew ragged at his touch. His thumb caught the waistband of the smalls she wore, lacy ridiculous things they were, and he all but ripped them from her hips in one swift jerk.

She whimpered as Kaidan's biotics flickered into existence. His fingers, glowing brightly blue and thrumming with biotic energy, roamed over her hips and lower stomach, and he noted with pride that she was wriggling eagerly, rubbing her thighs together to ease the burning tension there. He shifted and laid alongside her on the bed, and his hand cupped a breast. His thumb teased over the hardened nipple and she arched into the touch with a jerky moan.

He bent a head and took the nipple into his mouth and she cried out, her hand fisting tightly in his hair, anchoring him in place. His hand glided down the flat expanse of her stomach while his tongue and lips and teeth drove her flesh to hypersensitivity. His biotics hummed, as if they were just as excited as he was, and he pushed a finger experimentally into her slick folds. She whimpered and clung to him. He rubbed slowly with the tip of his index finger and she thrashed.

He inserted a second finger, crooked them upwards, and a spark of blue energy shot through her. He swallowed her screams of pleasure with his mouth as she arched off the mattress, taken by surprise by the efficiency of his biotics. His fingers coaxed her down from the crest of her orgasm and she lay there, trembling and panting, a complete pleasured mess at his hands.

He couldn't suppress his feral, satisfied grin. Did Vega appreciate the little trembles, the gasping pants as she rode the aftershocks of her pleasure? From the look on her face, he didn't think so. He dipped his head and she met him halfway, leaning up a little to receive his kiss.

And now she slipped her hands beneath the waistband and took him in hand and he groaned at the sensation of her soft fingers moving across the over-sensitive flesh. She licked her lips as she stroked him, languid and slow and _tortuous._His fantasies abruptly had the flimsy feel of paper compared to the real thing, to the real woman lying beside him in the twilight. She was moving again, to pull his jockeys down and fling them across the room.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and shifted to hover over her. Another kiss, slow and hot and_wonderful_, and his hand slipped down her thigh to the back of her knee. He lifted her leg gently and hooked her knee over his shoulder to open her up to him. He settled for a moment between her thighs to ravish her neck and shoulders and collarbone with tongue and teeth, his hands caress the thigh pressed to his shoulder.

She wriggled beneath him expectantly, but he waited, his lips moving across her jaw and neck, tasting her glittery skin. But she was impatient, and she lifted her hips off the mattress to speed up the process.

His biotics flared into life immediately, and he pressed her back down to the bed with one strong hand. She whined and he grinned down at her, but there was a tautness to his eyes that betrayed restraint.

"Patience is a virtue," he said, deep and husky and teasing in her ear, and she shivered. "Ask me nicely."

"Please… please touch me." He took note of the deep flush that had settled across her cheeks. She clearly wasn't used to _talking_. He wondered ferociously whether Vega had even said her name during their little trysts. He was determined to show her that rough and hard and fast wasn't the only way. His hand moved from her lower stomach upwards towards her breasts. His thumb ghosted over a hardened nipple and she whimpered. He continued to torture her for a few more minutes before she cried out, practically sobbing with desire.

"Kaidan, _please,_I need –"

He silenced her with his mouth, and slowly, he slipped inside of her with a groan. He leaned down, her knee still resting on his shoulder, until they were nearly flush against one another. Her arms came around his shoulder and he buried his faced into her neck. Then, and only then, did he start to move.

It was a totally different experience for Nora. Kaidan was slow and gentle and generous, compared to the fast-paced and carnal _fucking_ she'd come to expect with Vega and others before him. He didn't speak much, aside from whispering her name,_Nora_, but he somehow knew when she needed him to move faster, when she wanted him to kiss her, when she wished for his fingers to come between them and rub. And it was _fantastic_ and she couldn't think, didn't want to think –

"Look at me, sweetheart. Look at me," he pleaded and her unfocused eyes flicked to his face as she drew close to the precipice again. She arched, murmurs sharpening into gasps, fingernails digging red stripes into his shoulder blades. He groaned softly as they kissed again, tongues and lips and molten _fire_, and he could feel her walls shudder and clench around him as she toed the edge of orgasm. He was close, too, but he was determined that she got her good first.

"Harder, Kaidan, please, oh _God_," she whined, _begging_, and he mindlessly obeyed, rocking against her with a renewed ferocity that made her cry out. So close… _so close._

With a shout, they fell over the edge together, tumbling chaotically through madness to find the one safe haven on the far side of the abyss. Groans and whimpering sighs and murmurs of names filled the room. His hand found hers in the last moments and he held it tightly, fingers laced, as if it was his last tether to this earthly plane of existence. She watched his face raptly as they rode out of the aftershocks together. He exhaled a trembling breath and lowered her leg back down to the mattress with a shy little grin.

"Good?" was all he could manage and she laughed. His smile faltered a bit and he just looked anxious now, and she planted a sweet kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He turned his head, though, and their lips met, all softness and affection. She didn't think she'd ever get tired of that.

"It was definitely better than my fantasies," she replied. _Her fantasies? Oh my God._ He swallowed hard and rolled onto his back beside her. She followed, curving herself alongside him with her head resting on his outstretched bicep. His arm curled around her and drew her closer, until her head was tucked beside his neck. His hand moved lazily across her lower back, over the tattoo he hadn't gotten to see, but it didn't matter now. There'd be time later, he hoped.

He chuckled, already feeling sleep tugging at the corners of his mind. But the red sand was still coursing through him, and his thoughts were whirling again. Her hands were exploring him now, slowly mapping every ripple of his abdomen, following the trail of dark hairs that led from his chest back down the stiffening flesh between his legs.

"Minx," he said through gritted teeth, and she laughed again.

The red sand had given him an excess of stamina, he realized now, as she shifted to settle herself astride his hips. He looked up at her, and her hands reached down to encircle him, guiding him. His hands came to rest automatically on her hips, squeezing, his fingernails digging into her flesh, leaving small crescent shapes along her backside.

Their second time was rougher, more desperate, less kind. Everything was too sensitive now, their pleasure edged with a throbbing undercurrent of pain. She took control this time, and he watched her raptly as she rode him, her hips grinding against his unevenly. He pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around her waist with a groan. She tossed back her head and his mouth descended on the creamy column of her throat, nipping and kissing his way to her collarbone.

She gasped and arched and soon another orgasm ripped through them both, and she collapsed onto his chest, utterly spent. He fell back onto the mattress, chest heaving.

"I think… I'm done now," she whispered between pants, lifting her head off his chest. He kissed her wordlessly, pressing his mouth blindly to hers as he rolled her to his side and folded her against his chest. Again and again he kissed her, deeply, chastely, gently, roughly, any possible way in between, leaving her trembling and panting.

He hoped if he kissed her enough, he wouldn't have to speak, to tell her... _He loved her._ The thought thrilled and terrified him simultaneously.

She fit under his chin and against his body almost perfectly, her arm draped over his side. He watched her as she fell into a doze in the slowly blooming light of dawn, before sleep finally claimed him. He dreamed of little, except red and black and mossy green.

He awoke abruptly to the sound of silence, sunlight streaming through the window in bright shafts of morning light now. He felt cold. He looked down and she was gone without a trace. Ice pierced his heart and he scrambled to his feet. He yanked on clothes as quick as he could, tripping over his jeans as he wrenched open his door and ventured into the hall.

_Please let her be in the shower._

The bathroom door was standing wide open. Darkness and silence greeted him as he looked into it. Panic was steadily rising in his chest now. He opened her bedroom door. Her bed sheets were untouched, and she wasn't there, either. He whirled on his heel and called her name.

He entered the living room and the panic swelled even higher. He felt like he might drown in it. The room was a mess. His coffee table was broken, shattered to pieces. His photographs had all been destroyed, and his vidscreen sparked feebly as it hung on the wall, a huge crack running down the center. His front door was open. Nora was nowhere to be found.

_How had he not heard any of this?_ He could think of only one explanation, and it made his insides turn cold. He spotted something lying by the front door out of the corner of his eye. He strode over and picked it up. It was a packet of red sand, identical to the one she had brought to his bedroom last night. He opened it and dipped a pinky into the small red granules. He licked the tip of his finger. _Shit._ He had been hoping his hunch was wrong, but there was a definite taste of a powerful narcotic laced in the red sand.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, Kaidan suddenly knew who had taken Nora. He felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. His mind whirled as realization hit him like a freight train.

_Sovereign. Sovereign had taken her, and he knew where._

Kaidan moved through the apartment with renewed vigor now. He yanked on his boots and a t-shirt and reached for the holster on the hook by the door. He wasn't surprised to see that it was empty. Only an idiot would have left a weapon behind, and Sovereign was no idiot. He pulled it on anyway and left the house.

It didn't matter that his pistol was gone. Kaidan could stop at any C-Sec outpost and requisition a weapon before heading to Sovereign's hideout. But walking outside and seeing his sky car gone was certainly a setback. He stood there, mind scrabbling to recover. He opened his omni-tool and called Bailey.

"Alenko, what's happened?" came Bailey's gruff voice from the other end of his line.

"There's no time to explain, Bailey. I need a sky car sent to my house."

"Wait, what happened to yours?"

Kaidan gritted his teeth. "Sovereign took it."

There was a pause. "Sovereign was at your house?"

"He… he drugged us, Bailey. He slipped something into our… _drinks_ at the gala last night." Best to leave the red sand out of it for now. "And he took her, Bailey. He took Nora."

"_Nora?"_

"Ashley's murderer. He took her."

Bailey was a smart man. He could piece things together pretty well. Kaidan waited impatiently for Bailey to come to the right conclusion.

"Shit, son, are you touched in the head?"

"Can we skip the lectures for now, please? I need a sky car immediately. And send C-Sec officers to meet me at Purgatory. Tell them to be discreet. There's a hostage involved and I don't want Sovereign to get spooked."

"_What?_ The bar?"

"That's where he's taken her."

"And you know this how?"

"…Call it a hunch."

Kaidan hung up the call without waiting for Bailey's inevitably snarky response. He began pacing, hands on his hips, as he waited for a sky car. Hopefully Bailey would have the sense to send one of the undercover vehicles. He didn't need to alert all of Harbinger's agents to his presence when he arrived. And Sovereign… Kaidan could have punched himself. Why didn't he realize earlier_?_ _Hindsight really is 20/20_,he thought bitterly. Looking back, it all made sense.

Alone and without anything to do, his thoughts wandered and he didn't like the places they visited. He imagined the cruelties being inflicted on Nora as he stood there helplessly, and his stomach turned.

_No. _He would stop this. He had to stop this. _I should've told her. Shit, why didn't I tell her?_

Finally, a red sky car glided into view and lowered itself down onto the gravel driveway. Kaidan ran for the car and opened the door. Set to auto-pilot, the car was empty, but there was a duffel bag full of shotguns, pistols, and rifles in the backseat.

"Bailey, you are a godsend."

He found two Carnifex pistols and shoved them into his holsters, pocketed several spare thermal clips, and fished out a Crusader shotgun. He grinned at it viciously.

"Always did love this shotgun."

He pumped it with a quick jerk of his hand and slid into the front seat. The door closed behind him automatically and he set the butt of the shotgun on the floor of the passenger seat.

"Don't you worry, Nora. I'm comin' for you."


	13. Chapter 13

The ride to Purgatory was longer than Kaidan remembered it. He glared out the windshield as he sped recklessly fast across the Presidium's skyways, his knuckles white from the ferocity of his grip on the steering wheel. With nothing to distract his mind, it fast forwarded, and Nora was lying on the floor in some back room of the club, motionless, bleeding, _dying_…

Kaidan pushed the accelerator down further, until it hit the floor of the car. The car raced across the Presidium, zipping past buildings and other cars. _No. No, no, no._

The car glided to a halt in front of the club. There were several C-Sec officers milling around outside the doors in street clothes, and Kaidan could make out the bulge of concealed assault rifles and shotguns. He opened his door and got out with his Crusader in hand. He shoved the muzzle into the waistband of his jeans as he approached an officer who seemed to be giving orders.

"Situation?"

The officer nodded tersely at Kaidan. "We've got a few undercover officers inside, but –"

And then from somewhere inside, there was an explosion, followed by shouts, screams, and rapid gunfire. Kaidan felt ice drop into the pit of his stomach. The C-Sec officer he was speaking to moved forward but Kaidan stopped him with his arm.

"No, stay out here. I need you to cover the exit in case Sovereign tries to escape."

The officers exchanged glances, but Kaidan didn't have time to reassure them. He approached the door of the club cautiously as he dared, expecting a trap. It was locked, and his omni-tool's bypass module wasn't going to crack it in time. There were more screams coming from somewhere inside the club. The blue biotic aura instantly hummed into life around his body, whirling around his fingers. Several of the officers had taken cautious steps back, and one was already cowering behind a car. Kaidan glanced over his shoulder at the officers, his eyes glowing with the same ferocious blue.

"You might want to stand back."

Kaidan barely gave the officers a heartbeat to run before he withdrew a glowing fist and slammed it as hard as he could against the door with a shout. It shattered and exploded inward with a blaze of biotic energy. Kaidan's blue barrier flickered away. He drew a pistol from his holster and entered the club, the gun held tightly between his two fists.

Several civilians came barreling towards him to escape the explosions and gunfire. They ran past him and out the door to the waiting C-Sec officers. Kaidan stepped around them and into the club, his eyes darting around and looking for his target. The club was literally on fire, flames from the explosion licking the walls and spreading about the floors in little puddles of molten metal. Kaidan skirted these carefully and made his way towards the upper levels.

Then he heard something behind him and he whirled on his heel to see just who he was expecting. Vega was standing there, looking smug and vicious. There were fresh scratches along his cheek, dark red and jagged. He had stepped out from a dressing room door, but half of him was still obscured by the frame. Kaidan could see a pistol in his hand.

"You just got to make a big entrance, don't you, _cabrón?"_

"Where is Nora?" Kaidan's voice was deceptively calm, but his fingers trembled on the grip of his pistol.

"Oh, she's right here." And Vega stepped away from the door to reveal a battered and bruise Nora. Her hands were bound behind her back with duct tape, and there was a strip of it across her mouth. Dried tear tracks ran across her cheeks, and Kaidan could see fresh bruises purpling across her forearms. There was a knife cut along the inside of her bicep.

Kaidan's grip on the pistol tightened. He took a step a forward with a snarl, but Vega was faster, and he pressed the pistol muzzle against Nora's side. Kaidan saw her tired, red-rimmed eyes flick to the pistol and she struggled to pull away from the gun, but Vega held her fast. Her head sagged hopelessly against her chest.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Kaidan froze. "Drop it," commanded Vega, and Kaidan hesitated for a fraction of a second before releasing the pistol and letting it clatter to the ground. "And the other. I'll take that pretty little shotgun, too." Gritting his teeth, Kaidan relinquished his weapons and kicked them over to Vega.

"What a shame you decided to come here alone," said Vega lightly, as he kicked the pistols and shotgun off the edge of the club's platform. Kaidan's heart plummeted when he heard them hit the ground several hundred feet below.

"I'm not alone," replied Kaidan viciously. "There's about a dozen C-Sec agents out there and –"

Vega started to laugh, cutting Kaidan short.

"Oh, really? Did you see their badges, _puta?_"

Kaidan felt like someone had taken hold of his heart and squeezed. He stared blindly at the blasted door to the club. _Of course._ _How could he have been so stupid?_ All of those men were agents of Harbinger. So he really was alone. Kaidan's eyes flicked back to Vega, who was still holding Nora by her duct taped wrists.

"So, _Sovereign_," Kaidan spat the title like it tasted foul on his tongue. "Pretty good plan, but you didn't count on one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Me." Kaidan's biotics burst into life around him and he surged forward, catching Vega off-guard and knocking the pistol from his grasp. Nora was thrown away from the pair as they grappled, and Kaidan knew he had the upper hand. He may be smaller and weaker physically than Vega, but biotics always gave someone the edge in a fist-fight.

However, Vega had been doing red sand for months now, and was evenly matched.

His hand lashed out and grabbed the front of Kaidan's shirt. He heaved Kaidan into the air and flung him across the platform with all his considerable strength. Kaidan hit the ground on his elbow and rolled with a grunt. His momentum propelled him backwards several feet, the air knocked from his lungs. He rolled onto his hands and knees and gasped for breath, one hand held to his ribs. And then he heard a shriek. He looked up sharply, his vision blurred.

Nora had managed to cut the duct tape with a jagged edge of glass she found on the floor, had ripped the strip from her mouth, and had attacked Vega upon freeing herself. She managed to get a good slash across his arm, but he was too fast. His large hand came around her throat tight enough to bruise, and he drew her face closer to his. The shard of glass slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.

"I'm disappointed, Lola," he hissed. She clawed helplessly at the vice-like grip on her throat, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought we had something _special!_" His grip tightened with a snarl and Nora gasped for breath, feebly pulling at his fingers in an attempt to loosen them. They only tightened more, crushing her windpipe and bruising her flesh.

A piece of rubble sailed through the air and smashed into the side of Vega's head. He stumbled, momentarily disoriented, but his grip on Nora's throat remained steady, even as blood dripped from the wound and down the side of his face. He turned to see what the _hell_ had done that.

Kaidan was on his feet, if a bit unsteadily, another heavy chunk of rubble held in his glowing blue fist. His chest was heaving, still trying to recover from having the wind knocked from him. "Let her go," he croaked, and swallowed to soothe his burning throat. The chunk of rubble glowed blue and lifted from Kaidan's fist and hovered a few feet in front of him menacingly.

Vega's jaw twitched and an unpleasant smile blossomed across his face. "If you insist." He lifted Nora by her throat and flung her away. Though he put less force into this throw than he had done with Kaidan's, she still traveled a considerable distance before coming to a stop in a crumpled, motionless heap on the floor. Kaidan's heart turned to ice in his chest, and his gaze flicked back to Vega's. Blue smoke started billowing from Kaidan's eyes, but it wasn't blue he was seeing. _It was red._

With a shout, Kaidan surged forward, determined to rip Vega from limb to limb and burn the pieces, but a voice and a stasis bubble stopped him in his tracks.

"Enough!"

A large male krogan, dressed in red armor to match the scarred crest on his head and the cruel eyes that took in the decimated club, was descended the staircase with two LOKI mechs on his flank. His hand was glowing blue – the stasis bubble had come from him. Kaidan took note of the pistol on his hip and the shotgun in a holster along his back. Four long, jagged scars ran vertically across the side of the old krogan's face, and his crest was peppered with bullet wound scars and scratches. Kaidan immediately recognized him from Nora's description.

_The mercenary she had worked for was Harbinger._

The krogan approached Vega and promptly head-butted the large man with a snarl. Vega cried out and collapsed heavily onto the floor, holding a broken nose, blood streaming from between his fingers.

"You stupid pyjak!" snarled the krogan, giving him a swift kick to the ribs for good measure. Vega curled onto the ground with a spluttering cough. "What the _hell_ were you thinking? I told you not to start this plan yet!"

Vega mumbled something thickly, unintelligible through the hot spurt of blood pouring from his nose. The krogan seemed to understand him, or he'd at least heard the argument before.

"Who the hell cares, Vega?! Because of this little stunt of yours, I've had to cancel shipments and push everything back for _months!_ And who the hell is going to repair the club? You gonna grab a hammer and get to work?" He reached down and grabbed a handful of Vega's short hair and yanked his head upwards.

"I oughta snap your neck, if I didn't think you were still _useful,_" snarled Harbinger, and Vega sputtered an incoherent protest, before the krogan released his head and turned to Kaidan.

"Why?" Kaidan snarled as the krogan strode past, and the sharpness of his voice took Harbinger by surprise. The krogan stopped in his tracks and stared at him, before smiling viciously.

"Why?" he repeated with a laugh, his deep baritone voice filling the empty club. "For 30 million credits a crate, that's why! Oh, were you asking about something specific?" He chuckled and followed Kaidan's gaze to Nora's motionless form on the floor several feel away.

"Oh, her? Well, she was my top agent for a long time. No one could sling sand like Shepard." He was pacing before Kaidan now, still suspending him in the stasis bubble. Kaidan grit his teeth and willed his limbs to work, to fight against the imprisonment. His fingers flexed an imperceptible amount and he glanced at Harbinger.

Harbinger didn't seem to notice and was continuing. "But then she and her _idiot_ brother decided to turn on me. They stole several _thousand_ credits' worth of merchandise to start their own empire. They went to the Spectre and made up some crap about wanting to escape me." He chuckled darkly.

Kaidan had managed to move his fingers more. He watched the krogan as if entirely absorbed in his information, but he was trying to force his biotics to life. They sputtered feebly and Kaidan froze, testing to see if Harbinger had noticed.

The old krogan had his back to Kaidan now, looking over the destroyed club.

"So of course I had to kill her brother… And then that stupid Spectre got herself wrapped up in the sand and she was going to tell _everyone,_ so she had to be dispatched… And this was all just crowd-control, I swear," he said with another chuckle.

"My only _mistake_ was hiring that idiot," muttered Harbinger, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Vega, who had managed to stand at last and was pinching the bridge of his nose to stem the flow of blood. It wasn't doing much to help. His t-shirt was splattered with blood and his eye was already swelling shut. He spit blood onto the floor and gestured fiercely at Kaidan.

"This _cabrón_ was fucking her! She was _mine, _you said she –" shouted Vega, and Harbinger rounded on him and cut across him, his voice thundering around the room.

"I told you to be patient, Vega! If you'd waited –"

Kaidan's shout interrupted them both as he broke the stasis' hold with a powerful surge of biotics. The azure flames licked his body as he leapt for the krogan. Harbinger moved, surprisingly agile for such a large creature, and his hand shot out to grab Kaidan's forearm, twisting it roughly behind him. Momentarily disabled, Kaidan gritted his teeth and struggled helplessly against the krogan's firm grip.

"You're pretty good," panted Harbinger, holding fast as Kaidan gave his arms another jerk.

"Yeah, and I'm even better when I'm pissed," snarled Kaidan, and he spun on his heel, turning his body to twist his arm from Harbinger's grasp. A sharp twinge of pain in his shoulder – _he'd be feeling that tomorrow _– and he was free. One hand swung around to grab the pistol on the krogan's hip and he turned swiftly to press the muzzle underneath the vulnerable flesh beneath the krogan's jaw.

Harbinger stiffened and his eyes narrowed at Kaidan. "Big mistake, kiddo," snarled the krogan.

Kaidan realized too late that he had forgotten about Vega, just in time to see him lunging. Vega slammed into Kaidan and knocked him to the ground. While Kaidan was disoriented, Vega grabbed his forearm and slammed it against the metal floor. Something in it popped and Kaidan screamed as white-hot pain shot through his broken forearm. The pistol skittered from his grip and Vega scrambled for it, but Kaidan's biotics had exploded into life around him defensively, and he shoved Vega away with a powerful shockwave that sent him flying.

While Vega was scrambling away from the edge of the platform that led to the deep abyss, Kaidan was dashing for the pistol, his unbroken hand outstretched. Vega's hand came around Kaidan's ankle and the biotic hit the ground just a few inches shy of the pistol's grip. Kaidan kicked Vega in his already broken nose and he recoiled with a sharp cry of pain, giving Kaidan the time he needed to grab the pistol.

He fumbled, his broken arm _blinding_ him with searing pain, and Vega was clambering towards him, pinning him to the ground, and his hand came around Kaidan's throat –

A gunshot rang out, and Vega stiffened, a look of confusion on his face, before he slumped limply against Kaidan. Kaidan heaved the massive weight off his chest and Vega rolled, lifeless, to the side, a single red splotch blossoming across his stomach. No one would rescue him this time.

Kaidan rolled to his feet, breathing hard, to see the old krogan standing over Nora.

"Get away from her!" thundered Kaidan, and he advanced on Harbinger, pistol raised. The krogan snarled in response but straightened, raising his palms to show that he was not a threat.

"Come on, you don't need to kill me. Just… let me live, and I'll get off the Citadel, and I'll give you a nice little parting gift! How's half a million credits sound? Deal?" He extended a hand towards Kaidan with a sly smile.

Kaidan hesitated, staring at Harbinger's outstretched hand for a moment while he considered. Then his expression grew dark and his biotics sparked once more. Harbinger took a step back, alarmed.

"No deal."

He withdrew his unbroken fist and shoved it forward. A surge of bright biotic energy slammed into the krogan's chest and Harbinger went flying over the edge of the platform with a shout. Kaidan listened with malicious satisfaction as his terrified screams receded into the distance. There was a loud, terrible _whud_, and then the screams were no more.

Only when the room was silent did Kaidan finally turn to Nora. He ran to her side, crouched down beside her, and rolled her over. Her head slumped to the side limply and he felt sick to his stomach. He pressed his first two fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse. It was either so weak he couldn't feel it, or…

"Nora! Come on, babe, _please_ don't do this to me!"

He lifted her motionless form off the cold metal floor and cradled her against his thigh. Her head lolled lifelessly backwards, exposing her bruised neck, and blood dripped from cuts on her face. Her skin was icy to the touch. Kaidan's hands shook as he reached up to cup her cheek, to shake her gently. Hot tears pricked at his eyes and he pulled her tighter against his chest with a choked sob.

He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her closed and bruised eyelids, and finally her mouth, but she didn't stir. He started rocking back and forth, tears streaming down his cheeks. _IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou_, he thought ferociously, but he couldn't bring himself to speak the words. Not when she couldn't say it back. So he held her and sobbed against her hair.

"_Please_. Please don't leave me behind."

He buried his face against her neck, clutching her to his chest, ignoring the sharp pain in his broken forearm. And then he felt soft, shaky fingers running through his hair. "You can't… get rid of me that easy…"

He lifted his head sharply and looked down at her, eyes wide with disbelief. Her eyes were open only a little, her fingers were shaking uncontrollably on his cheek, but she was alive. She was breathing. _She was alive_. Another strangled sob, this time from relief, escaped him and he crushed her against his chest.

"Ouch," she complained in a hoarse whisper, and he eased his grip a little with a watery chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I just… _I love you_," he finally could say the words, knew she could say them back. F_inally, finally, finally,_ and he kissed her. She was weak, but her kiss was as ferocious as she could muster, conveying relief, fear, love. Her trembling hands clung to his shoulders as best as she could, fisting in his shirt to anchor them in place.

"I love you, too, you idiot," she said with a weak smile when he pulled away a fraction to breathe, her voice edged with tears and pain. He shifted and, despite the screaming protest of his broken forearm, lifted her and stood. He cradled her against his chest as they left the smoldering ruin that had been Purgatory. Harbinger's agents had all scattered by now, disappearing into the woodwork, never to be seen again. Kaidan slipped into the backseat of his car with Nora still in his arms, and told her the story of his heroic rescue.

"Vega... he was -" There were tears in her eyes. The betrayal had obviously come as a surprising blow to her. She buried her face into his neck.

"Yeah. I figured it out after he took you." Kaidan programmed the autopilot and settled back as the sky car glided into the air. C-Sec officers, real ones this time, were arriving at the scene. He watched through the window as their cars settled on the ground and officers swarmed the club. His omni-tool was chirping. No doubt Bailey was calling to find out what had happened. Kaidan turned it off. Bailey could figure it out himself.

There was a heartbeat of silence. She shook her head a little and a soft sob escaped her. "I-I went with him, Kaidan. He showed up to give me more sand and I was so _stupid!_"

Kaidan shushed her gently and pressed his lips against her forehead in a comforting kiss. Sleep was pulling at his mind insistently. His body was screaming and he didn't want to think anymore. "It's alright, it's over now."

"Is he dead?" Her voice was small, but he didn't detect any regret there.

"Yes."

For a long minute, neither of them spoke. He rested chin on the top of her head, his broken forearm cradled between them. Perhaps she had fallen asleep at last?

"And Harbinger?"

Kaidan's half-closed eyes snapped open and he cleared his throat sleepily.

"Dead. Remember that mercenary you told me you used to work for? The krogan?"

"Wrex?"

"Was that his name? I recognized him from your description."

A sigh, pained and quiet, escaped her. "He told you about what Nathan and I did, didn't he?"

"He might've mentioned something about wanting to start a new empire..."

She was quiet for a long moment. "That was... a long time ago. Nathan and I were... very stupid."

Kaidan made a quiet 'mm'. She looked up at him. He had fallen asleep, his face finally free from worry lines and wrinkles, his head drooped against hers. She wiped a sooty smudge from his cheek with her thumb. Kaidan had stayed with her through all of this. He had remained steadfast and honest when faced with the adversity related to her drug problems, and hadn't judged her when she came clean about her past. It only made sense that he would be there now, carrying her despite a broken arm, saving her from Harbinger, from Sovereign, from _herself_. She kissed him gently, and he smiled a little half-smile in his sleep.

If he could be steady and constant and _trustworthy_, she could, too.

She settled against him and the rest of the ride to the hospital was spent in silence.

They spent weeks in Huerta Memorial afterward. The road to recovery was long and painful, softened only by their time together. Kaidan recovered first – he'd only received a broken arm and a few bruised ribs – but Nora had to stay on for longer, to receive treatment for her red sand problem. The doctors managed to convince stubborn Nora to receive their help, and she wasn't sure if she was happy about it or not. When Kaidan slipped his hand into hers while she lay in a hospital bed, though, she knew she made the right decision. They talked quietly of the things to come until the early morning, of what they would do once the hospital released them. Kaidan had been given a medal for his heroics efforts, but the Council insisted on keeping the whole thing as quiet as they could, to save face.

He politely told them they could stuff their Spectre position and retired. He thought maybe he could try out teaching. Maybe a group of biotics.

Nora agreed.

Harbinger's name became a rumor on the Citadel in the years to come. When there was a slow day on the news, a report would air on the ANN about the mysterious disappearance of the boss of the Citadel's biggest crime syndicate, and who had been responsible. They would always ask their audience for any information regarding the identities of the heroes, and nothing about the story would air for another 3 months. People would whisper as Kaidan passed by them on the Presidium with Nora at his side – _There went the Spectre who took down Harbinger_, _that's the ex-Spectre who killed a big crime boss -_ but no one ever said it to his face. He wasn't even sure if they believed it, truly.

And neither of them were going to talk about it. So they quietly receded into obscurity together, and they were happy.

End.


End file.
